ChessPuzzlePrint Free chess puzzles, tools and printables

Real positions. Quiet practice.

Opera mate Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1765 · solved 26,119,780 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are opera mate puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 6,758 puzzles, median rating 1765, solved 26,119,780 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 opera mate puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

opera mate puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 6,758 opera mate puzzles at challenging level, solved 26,119,780 times in total. The median rating is 1765.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 6,758Middlegame tactics · 4,476Mate in 2 · 3,677Sacrifice · 3,457Endgame tactics · 2,155Mate in 3 · 2,040Kingside attack · 1,546Attraction · 1,516Discovered check · 901Double check · 795

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 130Caro–Kann Defence · 55French Defence · 47Italian Game · 46Scandinavian Defense · 45Queen's Pawn Game · 38Scotch Game · 35Queen's Gambit Declined · 31

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical opera mate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 opera mate puzzles at challenging level (29.6% of all 6,758).

8.8% need 1 solver move, 54.6% need 2 solver moves, 28.4% need 3 solver moves, 7.5% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1685 for the shortest solutions, 1825 for the longest.

42.7% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 40% and gives check in 98%; 100% end in checkmate, 53.8% involve a sacrifice, 56.1% have White to move.

40%first move captures
98%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
53.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
8.8% · median rating 1685
2 solver moves
54.6% · median rating 1751
3 solver moves
28.4% · median rating 1789
4 solver moves
7.5% · median rating 1787
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 1825

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
42.7%
Key move by a rook
36%
Key move by a bishop
13.4%
Key move by a knight
4%
Key move by a pawn
3.5%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
38%
Most valuable capture: rook
20.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
20.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
4.1%

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)
82.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
10.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
3.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1%
21–27 pieces
35%
13–20 pieces
58.6%
12 pieces or fewer
5.4%

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: h7 (14.9%), h8 (7.3%), e8 (7%), f8 (6.6%), d8 (6.1%).

1.31.62.46.176.63.67.38
1.11.91.44.94.514.97
1.12.31.132.84.23.96
11.21.22.25
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved opera mate 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 1601 · solved 3,020 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra1

Solution: Bf4+ → Kh3 → Rh2#

♝♜
♖
♚♙
♟♖
♟
♗♝
♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1607 · solved 3,535 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf7

Solution: Bh3+ → Bg2 → Re1#

♚♜
♟♗♛♟♟
♕♟♙♞♟
♟
♖
♙
♙♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1607 · solved 3,260 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd6

Solution: Qxa7+ → Kxa7 → Ra4+ → Kb8 → Ra8#

♜♚
♜♝♟
♙♕♟
♟♟
♙♟♝♙♛
♘♗
♗♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1614 · solved 3,298 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rbd1

Solution: Qxe1+ → Rxe1 → Rf1+ → Rxf1 → Rxf1#

♚♜
♟♜♝♟
♟♝♗
♟♕
♛♗
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1616 · solved 1,820 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd7

Solution: Qxd7+ → Rxd7 → Rc8+ → Rd8 → Rxd8#

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♕
♝♗♛
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1634 · solved 2,903 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd6

Solution: Qe3+ → Rxe3 → Rf1#

♜♚
♟
♝♟♛
♞♟♟♘
♙♟♝
♙♙
♖♖♙
♗♗♕♔
Black to move · rating 1658 · solved 2,499 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nh5

Solution: Qf1+ → Qxf1 → Rxf1#

♜♞♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟
♟
♟
♕♗
♙♙
♙♙♙♝♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1681 · solved 4,776 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg2

Solution: Qxf8+ → Kxf8 → Bd6+ → Kg8 → Rf8#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♝
♟♝♛♟
♞♙
♟
♙♙
♙♗♙♙♕♙♘♖
♔♖
White to move · rating 1720 · solved 1,820 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe4

Solution: Rh8+ → Bxh8 → Rxh8#

♜
♟♚♟♟♟
♟♝♖
♗
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♞
♔
Black to move · rating 1839 · solved 1,359 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg1

Solution: Re1+ → Kxh2 → Rh1#

♚
♟
♟
♖♟♗
♟♟
♝
♜♜♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1869 · solved 1,866 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg3

Solution: Rd8+ → Kg7 → Rxf7#

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

Opera mate puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelDeveloping level