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Knight endgame tactics Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1806 · solved 24,911,474 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are knight endgame tactics puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 11,261 puzzles, median rating 1806, solved 24,911,474 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 knight endgame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

knight endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 11,261 knight endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level, solved 24,911,474 times in total. The median rating is 1806.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 11,261Advanced pawn · 3,720Defensive move · 2,743Quiet move · 1,570Promotion · 1,201Hanging piece · 706Exposed king · 656Deflection · 623

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical knight endgame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 knight endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level (17.8% of all 11,261).

1.6% need 1 solver move, 46.1% need 2 solver moves, 38.4% need 3 solver moves, 9.6% need 4 solver moves, 4.4% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1697 for the shortest solutions, 1864 for the longest.

42.5% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 25.2% and gives check in 25.1%; 3.6% end in checkmate, 7.3% involve a sacrifice, 51.2% have White to move.

25.2%first move captures
25.1%first move gives check
3.6%end in checkmate
7.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
1.6% · median rating 1697
2 solver moves
46.1% · median rating 1783
3 solver moves
38.4% · median rating 1814
4 solver moves
9.6% · median rating 1828
5+ solver moves
4.4% · median rating 1864

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
42.5%
Key move by a knight
33%
Key move by the king
24.4%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
43.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
31.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
22.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
1.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
0.5%

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)
58.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
24.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
14.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
0.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
0%
13–20 pieces
17.9%
12 pieces or fewer
82.1%

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: b6 (4.9%), c6 (4.2%), f6 (4.2%), e5 (4%), g6 (4%).

8
1.322.52.21.71.92.11.67
2.34.94.23.93.54.2436
3.23.23.13.643.72.92.45
1.222.2332.52.11.44
11.21.213
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved knight 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 1600 · solved 1,344 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: c3 → g7 → Nf6 → Kf1 → c2

♞
♙♟♘♚
♟♙♔♟♙
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 1613 · solved 2,219 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd4

Solution: f4+ → Kxf4 → Kxd4

♚
♙
♔
♘
♟♞
White to move · rating 1621 · solved 1,303 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne3+

Solution: Nxe3 → b2 → Nd5+ → Kd6 → Nc3 → b1=Q+ → Nxb1

♟
♞♚
♟♔♘
♙♙
White to move · rating 1626 · solved 1,200 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke4

Solution: Kxc4 → a2 → Nd2+ → Kf4 → Nb3

♟♚
♙♞
♔
♘
White to move · rating 1658 · solved 1,369 times · 6 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf5+

Solution: Nxf5 → Kxf5 → Kd5 → b5 → e6 → Kf6 → Kd6 → b4 → e7 → Kf7 → Kd7

♟♟♟♚
♟♟
♞
♙♙♙♙
♟♔
♙
♘
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 1693 · solved 1,445 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc3

Solution: b4+ → Kc2 → Ka2

♟
♙
♞
♘♔♚
White to move · rating 1747 · solved 1,371 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg4

Solution: Nf2+ → Kh4 → Nxg4

♟♟
♟
♟♟♙
♚♙♙
♙♔♘
Black to move · rating 1777 · solved 1,863 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd2

Solution: Kxb2 → Nxd4 → exd4 → e5 → a3 → e6 → a2 → e7 → a1=Q

♘
♙
♟♟♚
♔
Black to move · rating 1880 · solved 1,415 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: c2+ → Kc1 → d2+ → Kxc2 → Ke2 → Kc3 → d1=Q

♟
♟
♙♘
♙
♚♟♟♙
♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1890 · solved 1,529 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd5

Solution: f2+ → Kf1 → e2+ → Kxf2 → Kd2

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

Knight endgame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelDeveloping level