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Intermezzo (in-between move) Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2243 · solved 23,156,465 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 19,584 puzzles, median rating 2243, solved 23,156,465 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 intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 19,584 intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles at advanced level, solved 23,156,465 times in total. The median rating is 2243.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 13,876Endgame tactics · 4,685Sacrifice · 4,091Fork · 2,167Kingside attack · 2,029Pin · 1,995Exposed king · 1,260Defensive move · 1,208

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 908French Defence · 353Italian Game · 305Caro–Kann Defence · 266Queen's Pawn Game · 237Scandinavian Defense · 225Queen's Gambit Declined · 194English Opening · 166

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical intermezzo (in-between move) solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles at advanced level (10.2% of all 19,584).

33.4% need 2 solver moves, 44% need 3 solver moves, 15.6% need 4 solver moves, 7% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2179 for the shortest solutions, 2524 for the longest.

25.4% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.4% and gives check in 49.7%; 1.8% end in checkmate, 28% involve a sacrifice, 53.6% have White to move.

53.4%first move captures
49.7%first move gives check
1.8%end in checkmate
28%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
33.4% · median rating 2179
3 solver moves
44% · median rating 2233
4 solver moves
15.6% · median rating 2321
5+ solver moves
7% · median rating 2524

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
25.4%
Key move by a rook
24.9%
Key move by a knight
19.6%
Key move by a bishop
17.8%
Key move by a pawn
11.6%
Key move by the king
0.9%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30.1%
Most valuable capture: rook
28%
Most valuable capture: knight
16.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
15.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10%

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)
10.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
16.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
38.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
27.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
6.8%
21–27 pieces
51.2%
13–20 pieces
37.4%
12 pieces or fewer
4.4%

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: f6 (8.2%), f7 (5%), e6 (4.8%), h7 (4.5%), g6 (4.3%).

1.31.72.32.81.418
1.11.72.12.952.64.57
3.12.44.88.24.32.66
11.13.73.33.421.75
11.82.32.31.71.74
1.1113
2
1.31
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♚
♟
♟♞
♟♟
♞
♙♜♗♗♙
♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 2003 · solved 490 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc3

Solution: Bxe4 → Rxc1 → Bd5+ → Kg7 → Bxc1

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♝♟
♟♘
♙
♗♞
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2012 · solved 621 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg3

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kh8 → hxg3

♜♘♜
♟♟♕♟♟
♚♟
♟♙
♞♞♙♛
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 2027 · solved 554 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d3

Solution: Ne2+ → Kh1 → N4g3+ → hxg3 → Qh5+ → Qh4 → Nxg3+

♜♚
♛♞♟♟
♟♟
♕♟
♙♙
♙♘♙
♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2045 · solved 504 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa5

Solution: Rb1+ → Ne1 → Qxa5

♜♜♚
♟♞♟
♟♟♟♟
♟♙♘♟
♝♙♙♗
♛♙
♙♕♙♔
♖
White to move · rating 2045 · solved 494 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxb3

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh7 → cxb3

♛♚
♟♟♟
♜♟♟
♜
♗
♙♕♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2064 · solved 502 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh3

Solution: Rg5+ → Kh1 → Qxh3 → Bxc6 → Rh5

♜♚♜
♝♞♟♟♝♟
♟♟♟
♛♟♞
♘♙♗♙
♘♗
♙♙♙♕♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2079 · solved 548 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxh5

Solution: Nb3 → Qc7 → gxh5

♜♞♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟♞
♟
♙♝♝
♙♗
♙♙♘♘♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2092 · solved 603 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf4

Solution: Qa4+ → Nc6 → Nxf4

♜♜♚
♟♝♝♟
♟♟♞♟
♛
♗
♗♙
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2156 · solved 613 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe6

Solution: Rxd7 → Rxd7 → Bxe6+

♚♟
♙♟♙
♞♙
♙♔
♗
♖♜
Black to move · rating 2203 · solved 622 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxa2

Solution: Ne3+ → Kh3 → Rxa2

♜♞♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟♞
♘♛
♙♙♘
♙♙♗♙♝
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2218 · solved 517 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg2

Solution: Nxd6+ → cxd6 → Kxg2

♟
♗♟
♚
♝♟♟♗♙♙
♔♙
♘
Black to move · rating 2312 · solved 610 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb5

Solution: b2 → Nc2+ → Kxb5

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

Intermezzo (in-between move) puzzles by difficulty

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