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Exposed king Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1800 · solved 151,459,388 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are exposed king puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 53,121 puzzles, median rating 1800, solved 151,459,388 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 exposed king puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

exposed king puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 53,121 exposed king puzzles at challenging level, solved 151,459,388 times in total. The median rating is 1800.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 28,042Middlegame tactics · 24,042Fork · 14,910Sacrifice · 9,106Attraction · 8,551Checkmate · 8,087Mate in 3 · 6,614Advanced pawn · 6,572Deflection · 6,075

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 636French Defence · 320Italian Game · 282Caro–Kann Defence · 262Queen's Pawn Game · 249Scandinavian Defense · 169King's Gambit · 147English Opening · 129

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical exposed king solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 exposed king puzzles at challenging level (3.8% of all 53,121).

77.6% need 3 solver moves, 18.7% need 4 solver moves, 3.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1787 for the shortest solutions, 1858 for the longest.

33.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 34.5% and gives check in 70.3%; 14.7% end in checkmate, 34.8% involve a sacrifice, 52.6% have White to move.

34.5%first move captures
70.3%first move gives check
14.7%end in checkmate
34.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

3 solver moves
77.6% · median rating 1787
4 solver moves
18.7% · median rating 1820
5+ solver moves
3.6% · median rating 1858

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
33.8%
Key move by a rook
32.6%
Key move by a bishop
11.2%
Key move by a pawn
9.8%
Key move by a knight
8.2%
Key move by the king
4.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
36.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
31.1%
Captures nothing along the line
12%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
6.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.8%

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)
23.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
10.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
30.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.6%
21–27 pieces
22.4%
13–20 pieces
57.8%
12 pieces or fewer
18.4%

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: g6 (6%), e6 (5%), f6 (4.5%), h8 (4.5%), g7 (3.8%).

1.71.31.81.72.72.42.24.58
11.522.72.63.43.83.57
1.11.52.12.454.563.76
1.31.32.62.93.52.83.55
1.511.51.24
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♞
♘♙
♗♟♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1611 · solved 1,949 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc4

Solution: Bxb5 → Bxb5 → Qa5+ → c3 → Qxb5

♝♕
♟♚♜
♟♟♟
♜
♙
♙♙
♙♗♙
♔
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 1613 · solved 1,920 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c7

Solution: f3+ → Kh3 → g2 → c8=Q → h1=Q+ → Rxh1 → gxh1=Q+

♜♚
♟♘
♛
♟♟♞
♟♕
♙
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1625 · solved 2,914 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg8+

Solution: Ng5+ → Kg7 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → Rxf7+ → Nxf7 → Qxf7#

♜♚
♟♟
♜♟
♕♙♟
♙♙
♖♛♗
♖
♔
Black to move · rating 1626 · solved 3,044 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd3

Solution: Re1+ → Bxe1 → Rxe1+ → Kh2 → Rh1#

♚
♜♝
♟♟♜♕
♟♟♘
♛♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1631 · solved 2,775 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re6

Solution: Nh6+ → Kh8 → Rf8+ → Bxf8 → Qg8#

♙
♚♙
♜
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1634 · solved 1,835 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd1+

Solution: Ke3 → Kf1 → Rh1+ → Kg2 → Rxd1

♜♞♝♚♝
♟♟♟
♟♗♞
♘♟♘
♙
♕♗♙
♙♛♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1635 · solved 2,038 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd8

Solution: Nf7+ → Ke8 → Nc7+ → Ke7 → Qxd6#

♜♜♝♚
♟♝♞
♟♞♟
♛♟♘
♗
♙
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1658 · solved 3,447 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh6

Solution: Qg6+ → Ng7 → Qf7+ → Kh8 → Ng6#

♚
♔♟♕
♟♙♛
♙♗
♜
White to move · rating 1659 · solved 1,789 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc3

Solution: Be5 → Qf8+ → Qxf8+ → Kxf8 → Bxc3

♖♘
♟
♙♝♙
♚
♜
♔
Black to move · rating 1682 · solved 2,383 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Rd2+ → Kc1 → Rd6+ → Kc2 → Rxa6

♚
♛♜
♜♕♟
♟♟♟♙
♟♖
♙♙
♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1754 · solved 2,236 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke8

Solution: Rh8+ → Kd7 → Qxe7+ → Kxe7 → Rh7+ → Kd6 → Rxb7

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

Exposed king puzzles by difficulty

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