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Endgame tactics Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1786 · solved 1,288,179,088 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are endgame tactics puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 554,323 puzzles, median rating 1786, solved 1,288,179,088 times. The twelve below are among the most-solved of them; try each on the board, then read the numbers further down to see how solutions at this level are built.

All endgame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 554,323 endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level, solved 1,288,179,088 times in total. The median rating is 1786.

Often combined with

Advanced pawn · 74,135Checkmate · 68,955Defensive move · 68,933Rook endgame tactics · 58,105Fork · 53,396Pawn endgame tactics · 50,063Quiet move · 45,674Sacrifice · 39,573

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 166Ruy Lopez · 122Italian Game · 103French Defence · 96Scotch Game · 93Scandinavian Defense · 83Queen's Pawn Game · 68Caro–Kann Defence · 67

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical endgame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level (0.4% of all 554,323).

2.1% need 1 solver move, 46.4% need 2 solver moves, 39.2% need 3 solver moves, 9.2% need 4 solver moves, 3% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1704 for the shortest solutions, 1843 for the longest.

27.2% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 32% and gives check in 45%; 12.6% end in checkmate, 18% involve a sacrifice, 50.8% have White to move.

32%first move captures
45%first move gives check
12.6%end in checkmate
18%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
2.1% · median rating 1704
2 solver moves
46.4% · median rating 1768
3 solver moves
39.2% · median rating 1793
4 solver moves
9.2% · median rating 1823
5+ solver moves
3% · median rating 1843

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
27.2%
Key move by a queen
22.9%
Key move by a pawn
21.8%
Key move by the king
10.9%
Key move by a knight
9%
Key move by a bishop
8.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
26%
Captures nothing along the line
23.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
22%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6.5%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.8%

Material balance along the whole line, counting every capture by both sides (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9):

No material gained (mating or positional)
38.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
17.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19.7%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
2.5%
13–20 pieces
60.6%
12 pieces or fewer
36.9%

How it is counted: every puzzle in the sample is replayed move by move with a chess rules engine. A sacrifice means a piece that is captured on the very next ply and was worth more than what it captured itself (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9). Sample of 2,000 puzzles. Percentages are shares of the sample.

Where it happens

Where the key move lands

Where the solver’s first move ends, drawn from their own side (rank 1 is their back rank). Busiest squares: f6 (4.2%), f5 (3.8%), f7 (3.8%), e5 (2.9%), g6 (2.9%).

1.31.82.22.72.711.68
1.21.52.41.82.33.82.61.77
1.21.82.51.82.84.22.92.76
1.21.91.92.82.93.82.825
1.11.11.62.12.21.91.81.24
11.11.21.713
12
11
abcdefgh

Counted from the same 2,000-puzzle sample. Squares under 1% are left blank.

Study positions

The most-solved endgame tactics puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♙♖
♚
♟
♟
♔
Black to move · rating 1612 · solved 3,336 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf5

Solution: Kxf5 → c6 → Ke6 → c7 → Kd7 → c8=Q+ → Kxc8

♝♕
♟♚♜
♟♟♟
♜
♙
♙♙
♙♗♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1612 · solved 3,195 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg8

Solution: Rh5+ → Kg2 → Rg5+ → Qxg5 → fxg5

♜♚
♛
♙♟
♟♙
♕
♘
♗♔
Black to move · rating 1620 · solved 3,279 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe4

Solution: Qh3+ → Kg1 → Rf1#

♖♖
♟♟♚
♙♟
♛♟
♙♗
♙♗♙♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1625 · solved 3,187 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg7

Solution: h3+ → Kh2 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qf3+ → Kg1 → Qg2#

♜♚
♟♟
♙♕
♟♛♙
♙
♙♜♙
♙♖♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1636 · solved 3,347 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf6

Solution: Qxg2+ → Kxg2 → gxf6

♚♟♔
♟
♙♟
♙
♙
Black to move · rating 1642 · solved 3,547 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c5

Solution: d5 → Ke6 → e4

♟♕♟♚♟
♙♛♟
♙♙♔
♙♟♙
Black to move · rating 1650 · solved 3,358 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Qxe6+ → Qxe6 → fxe6

♜♚
♟♟
♕♟♟
♜♙♘
♟
♔♙♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1655 · solved 3,557 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxa2

Solution: Ra5+ → Qa4 → Rxa4#

♖
♜
♟♟♚
♙♔
♙
White to move · rating 1672 · solved 3,445 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc6

Solution: Rh5+ → Kd6 → Rh6+ → Kc5 → Rxc6+

♚
♟
♟
♘♟
♟♙
♛♕♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1679 · solved 3,150 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe3

Solution: Qxe3+ → Kxe3 → a3

♝♚
♟♟
♝♟♟♟
♘♗
♙♔♙♙
♙
♙
Black to move · rating 1700 · solved 3,256 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb5

Solution: e5+ → fxe5 → fxe5+ → Kxe5 → Bxc5

♚
♟
♗
♟♛♙♕
♙♟
♝♟♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1810 · solved 3,312 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc5

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Ke7 → Qe8#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

Endgame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelDeveloping level