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Hanging piece Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1786 · solved 83,630,655 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are hanging piece puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 44,887 puzzles, median rating 1786, solved 83,630,655 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 hanging piece puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

hanging piece puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 44,887 hanging piece puzzles at challenging level, solved 83,630,655 times in total. The median rating is 1786.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 26,561Endgame tactics · 15,315Defensive move · 6,776Opening tactics · 3,011Fork · 2,107Intermezzo (in-between move) · 1,674Checkmate · 1,621Advanced pawn · 1,446

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 1,827French Defence · 799Queen's Pawn Game · 746Italian Game · 653Caro–Kann Defence · 598Scandinavian Defense · 469Queen's Gambit Declined · 384Ruy Lopez · 351

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical hanging piece solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 hanging piece puzzles at challenging level (4.5% of all 44,887).

1.7% need 1 solver move, 58.4% need 2 solver moves, 33.6% need 3 solver moves, 5.5% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1699 for the shortest solutions, 1870 for the longest.

36.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 100% and gives check in 22.4%; 3.4% end in checkmate, 8.4% involve a sacrifice, 48.8% have White to move.

100%first move captures
22.4%first move gives check
3.4%end in checkmate
8.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
1.7% · median rating 1699
2 solver moves
58.4% · median rating 1773
3 solver moves
33.6% · median rating 1789
4 solver moves
5.5% · median rating 1846
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 1870

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
36.6%
Key move by a rook
15.4%
Key move by the king
15.4%
Key move by a knight
11.2%
Key move by a pawn
10.7%
Key move by a bishop
10.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
37.5%
Most valuable capture: queen
29%
Most valuable capture: bishop
16.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
16.6%

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)
0.7%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
2.3%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
39.9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
39.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
17.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
6.5%
21–27 pieces
40.5%
13–20 pieces
41%
12 pieces or fewer
12%

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: d4 (4.9%), e4 (4.7%), f2 (4.2%), a8 (4%), d5 (3.2%).

41.11.92.22.621.78
11.22.32.61.17
2.11.81.82.31.36
2.23.23.21.911.85
1.71.94.94.72.131.44
1.21.61.92.22.31.81.43
1.34.22.32.62
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♞
♙♟♘♚
♟♙♔♟♙
White to move · rating 1609 · solved 2,349 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a4

Solution: Nxd7 → a3 → Nxc5 → a2 → Nb3 → a1=Q → Nxa1

♙♖
♚
♟
♟
♔
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

♝♚♜
♟♟♟
♙♞
♘♘♟
♟
♜♛
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1618 · solved 1,386 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe3

Solution: Rxg8+ → Nd8 → axb7#

♟♚
♟
♖
♟
♙♟♞
♙♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1620 · solved 1,417 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd5

Solution: Nxe1+ → Kf1 → exd5

♜
♟♟♙♚♟
♟
♙
♙♟♙
♙♙
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1630 · solved 1,329 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc7

Solution: Rxd1+ → Kc2 → e2 → c8=Q → e1=Q

♜♚
♟♝♞♟♝♟
♟♟
♗♙
♙♙
♙♗♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1664 · solved 1,890 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc7

Solution: Bxb7 → Rb8 → Bxc7 → Rxb7 → Rd8+ → Bf8 → Bd6

♟♟♟♚
♟♟
♞
♙♙♙♙
♟♔
♙
♘
White to move · rating 1682 · solved 1,818 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d3

Solution: bxc5 → d2 → Ke2 → dxe1=Q+ → Kxe1

♜♞♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♖♟♛♞
♙♙
♕♙♟
♗♙
♙♗♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1686 · solved 1,733 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd5

Solution: Nxb6 → dxe6 → Nxa4

♝♚
♟♟♟♟
♛♟♟
♞♕♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1690 · solved 1,332 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc3

Solution: Qxd8+ → Qe8 → Qxe8#

♟♚
♖♟
♜♖♟♟
♝♜♙♙
♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 1741 · solved 1,372 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb4

Solution: Rxc4 → Rxd5 → exd5

♝
♚
♟♗
♟♟♟♟
♝♙
♙♙♘♙♛♙
♙♙
♕♔
Black to move · rating 1755 · solved 1,348 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6+

Solution: Kxe6 → Ne2 → Qf2 → Nxd4+ → Qxd4

♖♜♚
♟♟♘♟♟
♝♝♟
♙
♙♛♙♙
♗♕♗
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1784 · solved 1,321 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc8

Solution: Qxd1+ → Qf1 → Qxf1+ → Kxf1 → Rxc8

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

Hanging piece puzzles by difficulty

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