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Checkmate Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2129 · solved 148,527,578 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are checkmate puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 39,739 puzzles, median rating 2129, solved 148,527,578 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.

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By the numbers

checkmate puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 39,739 checkmate puzzles at advanced level, solved 148,527,578 times in total. The median rating is 2129.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 22,807Sacrifice · 17,107Endgame tactics · 16,078Mate in 3 · 15,249Mate in 2 · 13,040Attraction · 8,243Mate in 4 · 7,356Kingside attack · 6,260Discovered check · 4,765Exposed king · 4,696

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 690Italian Game · 387French Defence · 381Queen's Pawn Game · 309Scandinavian Defense · 240Caro–Kann Defence · 223Queen's Gambit Declined · 157Scotch Game · 150

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical checkmate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 checkmate puzzles at advanced level (5% of all 39,739).

1.4% need 1 solver move, 33.3% need 2 solver moves, 38.1% need 3 solver moves, 19% need 4 solver moves, 8.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2034 for the shortest solutions, 2283 for the longest.

38% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 27.6% and gives check in 92.4%; 100% end in checkmate, 44.1% involve a sacrifice, 54% have White to move.

27.6%first move captures
92.4%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
44.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
1.4% · median rating 2034
2 solver moves
33.3% · median rating 2092
3 solver moves
38.1% · median rating 2131
4 solver moves
19% · median rating 2188
5+ solver moves
8.2% · median rating 2283

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
38%
Key move by a rook
27.6%
Key move by a knight
15.6%
Key move by a bishop
9.6%
Key move by a pawn
7.5%
Key move by the king
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
37.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
26%
Most valuable capture: rook
14.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8.1%
Most valuable capture: queen
7%
Most valuable capture: knight
7%

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)
70.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
14.5%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
6.5%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
2.4%
21–27 pieces
28.9%
13–20 pieces
60%
12 pieces or fewer
8.6%

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: g7 (6.9%), f7 (6.5%), h6 (5.5%), h7 (5.4%), g6 (5.1%).

1.211.52.72.94.42.748
111.41.63.16.56.95.47
1.42.62.34.45.15.56
1.31.51.83.23.42.15
11.52.51.94
13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜♜
♟♟♟
♟
♕♘
♗♞♛
♖♙
♙♙♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 2016 · solved 1,292 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc8

Solution: Nd7+ → Ka8 → Qxa7+ → Kxa7 → Ra3#

♜♚
♟♟♟♞♜♟
♟
♙♖
♛♙
♙♙♕♟
♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 2029 · solved 1,013 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg3

Solution: Qf6+ → Rgg7 → Rxh7+ → Kg8 → Rh8#

♜♝♜
♟♟♝♚♟♕
♟♟
♟♙
♛
♖
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2042 · solved 909 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Qg6+ → Kg8 → Qxg7#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♛♝♕♜
♘
♞
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2047 · solved 950 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg6

Solution: Qxf7#

♜
♟♚
♟♟♙♘♟
♟♞♟
♙
♙
♙♙♙♛
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 2055 · solved 808 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Rd7+ → Ne7 → Rxe7+ → Kxf6 → Rf7#

♕
♟♟♚
♟♘♟♞
♟♟♙♔
♙♙♙♙
♙
♖
♜♜
Black to move · rating 2082 · solved 855 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd8

Solution: Rxg4+ → Nxg4 → Rh5#

♜
♟♕♟♚
♖♟
♙
♙
♙♟♔
♛
White to move · rating 2088 · solved 1,058 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh6

Solution: Rxh5+ → Kxh5 → Qh4#

♕♜
♕♟♚
♟
♟♙♟
♙♙♙
♙♙♞♛♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 2091 · solved 1,276 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a8=Q

Solution: Rxg3+ → Rxg3 → Qxh1#

♟♟♟♚
♟
♛
♙♟♕
♙♝♙
♔
♖
Black to move · rating 2093 · solved 793 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxc2

Solution: Qd2+ → Kb3 → Qb2+ → Ka4 → b5+ → cxb5 → Qc2#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♞♕♟
♟♟♝♟
♟
♗♙♗
♘♙♛
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♞♔
White to move · rating 2147 · solved 1,291 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf6

Solution: Qxf8+ → Nxf8 → Bxf6#

♟♟♚♟♕
♟♝♘
♙
♛♜
♙
♙♙♖♔
White to move · rating 2148 · solved 846 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh4

Solution: Qf8+ → Kxf8 → Rg8+ → Ke7 → Re8#

♚
♟♟
♟
♖
♙♛
♕♙
♗♙♜♙♙
♜♖♔
Black to move · rating 2186 · solved 1,271 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf3

Solution: Rxd1+ → Qxd1 → Qxf2+ → Kh2 → Qxg2#

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

Checkmate puzzles by difficulty

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