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Mate in 4 Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2193 · solved 30,141,232 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are mate in 4 puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 7,356 puzzles, median rating 2193, solved 30,141,232 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

mate in 4 puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 7,356 mate in 4 puzzles at advanced level, solved 30,141,232 times in total. The median rating is 2193.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 7,356Middlegame tactics · 4,435Sacrifice · 4,132Endgame tactics · 2,805Attraction · 2,347Kingside attack · 1,316Exposed king · 1,225Fork · 901Deflection · 879Discovered check · 862

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 104Italian Game · 60French Defence · 58Scandinavian Defense · 47Queen's Pawn Game · 44Caro–Kann Defence · 35Ruy Lopez · 29Scotch Game · 26

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 4 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 4 puzzles at advanced level (27.2% of all 7,356).

100% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 2195 for the shortest solutions, 2195 for the longest.

36.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 32% and gives check in 92.1%; 100% end in checkmate, 56.5% involve a sacrifice, 55.6% have White to move.

32%first move captures
92.1%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
56.5%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

4 solver moves
100% · median rating 2195

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
36.2%
Key move by a rook
33.2%
Key move by a knight
12.5%
Key move by a bishop
8.5%
Key move by a pawn
8.2%
Key move by the king
1.4%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
25.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
22.8%
Captures nothing along the line
18.3%
Most valuable capture: bishop
13.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
12.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
7.8%

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)
60.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
14.5%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
9.5%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.8%
21–27 pieces
29.8%
13–20 pieces
62%
12 pieces or fewer
6.4%

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: g7 (9.8%), f7 (8.9%), h7 (6.6%), h8 (5.2%), h6 (5.1%).

1.311.62.43.83.32.45.28
11.51.61.53.38.99.86.67
11.21.72.74.345.16
1.11.11.92.72.25
1.21.51.81.64
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 4 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♕
♟♟♚
♜
♞♙
♖♟
♙♙♙♜
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2058 · solved 674 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Nf2+ → Rxf2 → Rxe1+ → Rf1 → Rxf1#

♟♟♟♚
♟
♛
♙♟♕
♙♝♙
♔
♖
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 2095 · solved 546 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc6

Solution: Rc7+ → Kb6 → Qd6+ → Ka7 → Qc5+ → Kb8 → Rxc8#

♜♜♛♚
♟♟
♟♝♟♕♟
♖♟
♙
♖
♙♙♙♔
White to move · rating 2128 · solved 633 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf8

Solution: Rxg6+ → fxg6 → Qxg6+ → Kh8 → Qxh5+ → Qh6 → Qxh6#

♚♜
♟♜♟
♙♘♟♝
♟♙♛
♟♙
♙♟
♗♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2145 · solved 508 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg3

Solution: Rxa7+ → Rxa7 → b7+ → Rxb7 → Ra1+ → Ra7 → Rxa7#

♙♚
♟♟
♟♕
♙
♙♙♙♙
♜♜♗♔
♞♖
Black to move · rating 2179 · solved 626 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d7

Solution: Rxg2+ → Rxg2 → Nf3+ → Kh1 → Rc1+ → Rg1 → Rxg1#

♚♜
♟♛♟
♕♙♙♟
♘♟
♜♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2247 · solved 512 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: axb6

Solution: Rxg2+ → Kxg2 → Qh2+ → Kf1 → Rf8+ → Nf2 → Qxf2#

♜♚
♕♘♟
♞
♙♟♙
♙♛♙
♔♙
♖
Black to move · rating 2345 · solved 504 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg2

Solution: Rc2+ → Kh3 → Rxh2+ → Kxh2 → Qf2+ → Kh3 → Qxg3#

♜♛
♟♘♖♟♚
♟♜
♕♟
♙
♙♟♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 2347 · solved 595 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg6

Solution: Nf6+ → Kh8 → Qxh5+ → Rh6 → Qxh6+ → gxh6 → Rh7#

♜♝♜
♟♟♟♚
♝♟♘♟
♟♙
♗
♕♙♖
♙♙♔♙
♛
White to move · rating 2359 · solved 542 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e5

Solution: Bg8+ → Rxg8 → Qxg8+ → Kxg8 → Rf8+ → Kh7 → Rh8#

♚♜♜
♟♟♖
♗
♝♟
♙♛♟
♕♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2423 · solved 541 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe4

Solution: Rbxb7+ → Bxb7 → Qc7+ → Ka8 → Bxb7+ → Qxb7 → Qxb7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♖
♝♛
♟♟
♟♙♗
♔
♙
♕♖
White to move · rating 2498 · solved 489 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxf5

Solution: Rh8+ → Qxh8 → Qc4+ → Bd5 → Qxd5+ → Rf7 → Qxf7#

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

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