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Epaulette mate Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1754 · solved 9,040,233 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are epaulette mate puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 2,581 puzzles, median rating 1754, solved 9,040,233 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 epaulette mate puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

epaulette mate puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 2,581 epaulette mate puzzles at challenging level, solved 9,040,233 times in total. The median rating is 1754.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 2,581Mate in 2 · 1,318Endgame tactics · 1,242Middlegame tactics · 1,207Sacrifice · 659Mate in 1 · 571Mate in 3 · 540Discovered check · 259Double check · 228Pin · 192

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 45Queen's Pawn Game · 32French Defence · 25Caro–Kann Defence · 23Italian Game · 20Scandinavian Defense · 12Vienna Game · 10Indian Defence · 9

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical epaulette mate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 epaulette mate puzzles at challenging level (77.5% of all 2,581).

22.4% need 1 solver move, 51.1% need 2 solver moves, 21.2% need 3 solver moves, 4% need 4 solver moves, 1.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1696 for the shortest solutions, 1799 for the longest.

40.4% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 23.1% and gives check in 98.4%; 100% end in checkmate, 27% involve a sacrifice, 54.8% have White to move.

23.1%first move captures
98.4%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
27%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
22.4% · median rating 1696
2 solver moves
51.1% · median rating 1774
3 solver moves
21.2% · median rating 1783
4 solver moves
4% · median rating 1841
5+ solver moves
1.2% · median rating 1799

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
40.4%
Key move by a queen
34.4%
Key move by a knight
12%
Key move by a pawn
7.2%
Key move by a bishop
5.8%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
55.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
25.5%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
4.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
3.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.4%

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)
73.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
16.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
5.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
3.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
4%
21–27 pieces
27.8%
13–20 pieces
61%
12 pieces or fewer
7.2%

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: f7 (6.9%), g7 (5.5%), f6 (5.4%), g6 (4.9%), h7 (4.9%).

1.411.72.32.52.54.48
1.32.71.72.56.95.54.97
1.32.12.52.95.44.94.26
1.12.81.83.32.93.85
1.92.62.24
13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♚♜
♟♟
♟
♟♘♟
♗
♛♙♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1614 · solved 3,146 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa2

Solution: Ne7+ → Kg7 → Bd4+ → Kh7 → Rf7#

♛♜♜♚
♟♟♟♕
♟♟♘♙
♟♙
♙♞
♙♙♙♝
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1628 · solved 1,225 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg2

Solution: Qg8+ → Ke7 → Qxf7#

♚
♟
♟♕♟♛
♟
♙♖♙
♙♔
♙♙♙
♜
Black to move · rating 1638 · solved 8,187 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd6

Solution: Rh1+ → Kg3 → Qe3#

♜♝♖♞♚
♟♟♜
♟♖♗
♛♟
♘♟♙
♙♙♙♕♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1640 · solved 1,226 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Rf1+ → Kh2 → Qg1+ → Kg3 → Rf3#

♝♚
♟♟♜♟
♟♟
♛♙♕
♜
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1647 · solved 3,715 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg6

Solution: Rf8+ → Kxf8 → Qh8+ → Kf7 → Rf1+ → Rf4 → Rxf4#

♜♚
♟♟♟♙
♟♝♟
♙♙♛♙
♕
♜
♖♔
White to move · rating 1655 · solved 3,555 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf4

Solution: Qxh5+ → Kg7 → Qh7+ → Kf6 → Qf7#

♖
♖
♟♔
♙♜♙
♙♙♙♚
♙♜
Black to move · rating 1676 · solved 3,161 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxf5

Solution: Rf2+ → Kg6 → Rg4+ → Kh5 → Rf5#

♜
♖♖
♞♚♜
♟♟
♞♙
♙♔
♙
White to move · rating 1692 · solved 1,302 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nde6

Solution: Rcf7+ → Kg5 → Rf5#

♟♚
♘
♙♙♔
♙♖♙
♙
♛
Black to move · rating 1696 · solved 1,706 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd5

Solution: g5+ → Kg3 → Qg1#

♜♝♝♜
♟♟♛♞♟♚
♟♟
♘
♕♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1701 · solved 1,478 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Nf6+ → gxf6 → Qf7#

♜♝♛♜
♟♟
♟♚♙
♟
♞♙
♟♕
♙♙♗
♝♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1732 · solved 1,312 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg6

Solution: Qh5+ → Kh7 → Qf7#

♖♖
♚♟♟
♟♟
♙
♔♟♙♙
♛
White to move · rating 1748 · solved 2,627 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa2

Solution: Rb7+ → Kd6 → Rd8#

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

Epaulette mate puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelDeveloping level