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Promotion Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1791 · solved 81,804,354 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are promotion puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 29,661 puzzles, median rating 1791, solved 81,804,354 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 promotion puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

promotion puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 29,661 promotion puzzles at challenging level, solved 81,804,354 times in total. The median rating is 1791.

Often combined with

Advanced pawn · 29,659Endgame tactics · 27,059Rook endgame tactics · 5,026Quiet move · 3,207Pawn endgame tactics · 2,957Deflection · 2,947Sacrifice · 2,914Middlegame tactics · 2,519

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 39Italian Game · 24Queen's Pawn Game · 22Caro–Kann Defence · 15Indian Defence · 14French Defence · 14Modern Defense · 12Scandinavian Defense · 11

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical promotion solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 promotion puzzles at challenging level (6.7% of all 29,661).

1% need 1 solver move, 22.8% need 2 solver moves, 43.2% need 3 solver moves, 19.6% need 4 solver moves, 13.4% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1657 for the shortest solutions, 1794 for the longest.

49.2% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 25.6% and gives check in 32.4%; 7% end in checkmate, 26.8% involve a sacrifice, 52.5% have White to move.

25.6%first move captures
32.4%first move gives check
7%end in checkmate
26.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
1% · median rating 1657
2 solver moves
22.8% · median rating 1770
3 solver moves
43.2% · median rating 1777
4 solver moves
19.6% · median rating 1796
5+ solver moves
13.4% · median rating 1794

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
49.2%
Key move by a rook
18.9%
Key move by a queen
11.7%
Key move by the king
10.8%
Key move by a bishop
4.6%
Key move by a knight
4.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
42.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
23.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
12.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
11.9%
Most valuable capture: bishop
5%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.4%

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)
81.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
6.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
4.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
5.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0.5%
21–27 pieces
3.2%
13–20 pieces
34.6%
12 pieces or fewer
61.8%

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: d7 (4.9%), e7 (3.8%), a7 (3.6%), f7 (3.5%), f8 (3.5%).

1.83.32.12.82.73.52.82.28
3.63.43.54.93.83.53.13.47
2.82.93.12.82.32.92.61.66
1.21.71.51.822.51.15
1.11.14
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♙
♙
♝
♚♟
♟
♔♟
♖
Black to move · rating 1613 · solved 1,920 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c7

Solution: f3+ → Kh3 → g2 → c8=Q → h1=Q+ → Rxh1 → gxh1=Q+

♝♚♟
♟♙♟♜♟
♟♟♕
♙♛
♙♖♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 1620 · solved 1,803 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf4+

Solution: Qxf4 → Rxf4 → c7 → Bd6 → c8=Q

♖♟♟
♙♚♟♟
♞
♗
♜
♔
White to move · rating 1629 · solved 1,801 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc6

Solution: Rc7+ → Kb5 → b7 → Nc6 → Rxc6 → Kxc6 → b8=Q

♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♘♟
♘
♛
♙♙♞♟♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1631 · solved 2,366 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb5

Solution: Qe1+ → Qxe1 → dxe1=Q#

♟♙♚♟
♔♟
♟♘
♟♙
♙♜♙
♟
White to move · rating 1637 · solved 1,986 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf7

Solution: Kd7 → Kf6 → e8=Q

♜
♙
♖
♟♚
♔
♙♟
White to move · rating 1638 · solved 1,764 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h2

Solution: a8=Q → Rxa8 → Rxa8

♚
♟
♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙
♝♔
White to move · rating 1660 · solved 2,376 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc1

Solution: g6 → Bh6 → f6 → Bg5 → g7 → Bxf6 → g8=Q+

♙
♚♟
♘♟♟
♙
♔♝
White to move · rating 1689 · solved 1,783 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke6

Solution: f4 → Kxd5 → b8=Q

♔♙♚
♝
♙
♙
♜♟
♖
White to move · rating 1695 · solved 2,147 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf2

Solution: Rxf2 → h1=Q → Rxf6 → Kxf6 → d8=Q+

♕
♔
♚
♟♟
♜♖
Black to move · rating 1723 · solved 1,690 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b8=Q

Solution: a1=Q#

♚
♟
♟
♖♟♔
Black to move · rating 1725 · solved 1,799 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra2

Solution: h3+ → Kxh3 → f1=Q+

♟♟
♟
♟♟♙
♚♙♙
♙♔♘
Black to move · rating 1777 · solved 1,863 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd2

Solution: Kxb2 → Nxd4 → exd4 → e5 → a3 → e6 → a2 → e7 → a1=Q

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

Promotion puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelDeveloping level