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Pillsbury's mate Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1748 · solved 22,205,654 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are pillsbury's mate puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 5,914 puzzles, median rating 1748, solved 22,205,654 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 pillsbury's mate puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

pillsbury's mate puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 5,914 pillsbury's mate puzzles at challenging level, solved 22,205,654 times in total. The median rating is 1748.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 5,914Middlegame tactics · 3,650Mate in 2 · 3,055Sacrifice · 2,417Endgame tactics · 2,205Mate in 3 · 1,820Kingside attack · 1,271Discovered check · 1,189Attraction · 1,042Discovered attack · 795

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 92French Defence · 46Italian Game · 43King's Gambit · 30Scandinavian Defense · 29Queen's Pawn Game · 29Ruy Lopez · 28Scotch Game · 27

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical pillsbury's mate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 pillsbury's mate puzzles at challenging level (33.8% of all 5,914).

11.6% need 1 solver move, 50.6% need 2 solver moves, 31.9% need 3 solver moves, 4.9% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1696 for the shortest solutions, 1821 for the longest.

32.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 32.9% and gives check in 99%; 100% end in checkmate, 45% involve a sacrifice, 54.2% have White to move.

32.9%first move captures
99%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
45%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
11.6% · median rating 1696
2 solver moves
50.6% · median rating 1741
3 solver moves
31.9% · median rating 1763
4 solver moves
4.9% · median rating 1818
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 1821

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
32.6%
Key move by a rook
30.2%
Key move by a bishop
23.2%
Key move by a knight
10.4%
Key move by a pawn
3%
Key move by the king
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
36.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
21.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
15.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
10.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
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)
69.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
12%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
8.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
7.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0.6%
21–27 pieces
31.9%
13–20 pieces
61.2%
12 pieces or fewer
6.2%

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 (11.6%), f8 (6.9%), f7 (6%), h6 (5.9%), g6 (4.9%).

1.62.32.73.24.26.92.23.18
1.511.82.264.211.67
2.11.221.72.54.34.95.96
1.3111.21.725
14
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜
♖♟
♗♟♟
♟♗♙
♙♝♙♚
♞♙
♜
♖♔
White to move · rating 1605 · solved 3,512 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh4

Solution: Rxh7+ → Kg5 → Rh5#

♚
♖♞♟♜
♗♝♗♟
♙
♜
♙♙♙
♝♔
White to move · rating 1607 · solved 2,352 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe1

Solution: Ra8+ → Rb8 → Rxb8#

♚
♟♟
♝♝
♙♙♔
♜
♙♙♙
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1610 · solved 3,240 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh4

Solution: Bf2+ → Kh5 → Rh3#

♜♝
♟♟♚
♙♟♙♘
♟♔♙
♗
♙♜
♖
White to move · rating 1623 · solved 1,305 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd2

Solution: g5+ → Kxh5 → Rh1+ → Rh2 → Rxh2#

♜♛♚
♝♟♜♟
♟♗♟
♟
♟♙
♙♖
♙♙♙♕
♔♖
White to move · rating 1632 · solved 2,954 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd7

Solution: Rxh7+ → Rxh7 → Qd4+ → Rg7 → Rh1#

♘♚
♝♕♟
♟♟♝
♟♜
♔
♗♙
♙♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1633 · solved 2,920 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg4

Solution: Bf3+ → Kh3 → Rh5#

♜
♟♚
♟♗
♟♜♝
♖
♕
♙♙♗♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1676 · solved 2,952 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg6

Solution: Rc1+ → Bxc1 → Rxc1+ → Qd1 → Rxd1#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♗
♛
♙♟♕
♙
♙♖
♔
White to move · rating 1690 · solved 2,779 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg8

Solution: Qxg8+ → Kxg8 → Rd8+ → Qe8 → Rxe8#

♖
♟♗
♝♙
♟♖♟
♚♜♟♙
♙♔
Black to move · rating 1713 · solved 2,157 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rfc8

Solution: Bg3+ → Kg1 → Re1#

♚♗
♟♖♙
♟♙♟
♟♙♜
♙♞♔
♟
White to move · rating 1769 · solved 1,873 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc3

Solution: Bg6+ → Kg8 → Re8#

♜
♟♖
♟♚
♞♗♟
♙♛♙
♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1769 · solved 4,138 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke6

Solution: Rc6+ → Kf5 → Rg5#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟
♟
♛♙
♙♕♙
♙♙♗♖
♖♔
White to move · rating 1801 · solved 3,293 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg4

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Rd8+ → Rf8 → Rfxf8#

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

Pillsbury's mate puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelDeveloping level