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Checkmate Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1746 · solved 565,235,685 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are checkmate puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 160,264 puzzles, median rating 1746, solved 565,235,685 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 challenging level: the numbers

There are 160,264 checkmate puzzles at challenging level, solved 565,235,685 times in total. The median rating is 1746.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 86,904Mate in 2 · 82,824Endgame tactics · 68,955Sacrifice · 47,755Mate in 3 · 40,887Kingside attack · 26,914Mate in 1 · 24,842Attraction · 20,031Pin · 14,745

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 3,130Italian Game · 1,622French Defence · 1,425Queen's Pawn Game · 1,282Caro–Kann Defence · 1,154Scandinavian Defense · 980Scotch Game · 708Queen's Gambit Declined · 681

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 challenging level (1.2% of all 160,264).

15.9% need 1 solver move, 53.4% need 2 solver moves, 23.9% need 3 solver moves, 5.8% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1694 for the shortest solutions, 1765 for the longest.

43.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 29.8% and gives check in 96.8%; 100% end in checkmate, 33.6% involve a sacrifice, 54% have White to move.

29.8%first move captures
96.8%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
33.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
15.9% · median rating 1694
2 solver moves
53.4% · median rating 1742
3 solver moves
23.9% · median rating 1783
4 solver moves
5.8% · median rating 1783
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 1765

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
43.6%
Key move by a rook
26%
Key move by a knight
13.2%
Key move by a bishop
9.8%
Key move by a pawn
6.2%
Key move by the king
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
43%
Most valuable capture: pawn
24.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
14.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.7%
Most valuable capture: queen
4.6%

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)
67.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
17%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
7%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
6.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
2.2%
21–27 pieces
30.9%
13–20 pieces
57.8%
12 pieces or fewer
9%

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: f7 (7.6%), h6 (7%), h7 (6.7%), h8 (5.8%), g6 (5.5%).

11.93.43.34.62.55.88
2.41.22.97.656.77
11.71.62.75.35.576
1.31.32.52.81.85
1.81.64
3
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.

♚♜
♖♝♛♞♜
♝♟
♟♟♙♖♟
♙
♙♙
♘♗♗
♕♔
Black to move · rating 1600 · solved 3,003 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e5

Solution: Rh1+ → Bxh1 → Rxh1#

♜♚
♛
♙♟
♟♙
♕
♘
♗♔
Black to move · rating 1620 · solved 3,279 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe4

Solution: Qh3+ → Kg1 → Rf1#

♖♖
♟♟♚
♙♟
♛♟
♙♗
♙♗♙♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1625 · solved 3,187 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg7

Solution: h3+ → Kh2 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qf3+ → Kg1 → Qg2#

♜♚
♟♟
♜♟
♕♙♟
♙♙
♖♛♗
♖
♔
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 1640 · solved 3,583 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh6

Solution: Qh4+ → Nh5 → Ng4#

♜♜
♟♟♚
♝♟♟♙♝
♟♟♛♙♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1644 · solved 3,358 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf5

Solution: Qxh6+ → Kg8 → Qg7#

♜♚
♟♟
♕♟♟
♜♙♘
♟
♔♙♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1655 · solved 3,557 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxa2

Solution: Ra5+ → Qa4 → Rxa4#

♜♜♝♚
♟♝♞
♟♞♟
♛♟♘
♗
♙
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
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#

♜♜♚
♟♟♕♟
♙
♘♟
♙♛
♙♙♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1669 · solved 3,537 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf7

Solution: Rxe4+ → fxe4 → Qe3#

♜♚
♟♝♟
♕♟
♘♛
♙♙
♙♖♙
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1737 · solved 3,131 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rcxb2

Solution: Bxb2+ → Rxb2 → Qc1+ → Rb1 → Qxb1#

♚
♟
♗
♟♛♙♕
♙♟
♝♟♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1810 · solved 3,312 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc5

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Ke7 → Qe8#

♜♞♚
♟♟♜♟♟
♝
♟
♙♕
♙♗♔♙♙♙
♛♘♖
White to move · rating 1823 · solved 4,651 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa1

Solution: Qc8+ → Be8 → Qxe8+ → Rf8 → Bb3+ → c4 → Bxc4+ → Kh8 → Qxf8#

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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