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Promotion Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 968 · solved 39,137,044 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are promotion puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 47,339 puzzles, median rating 968, solved 39,137,044 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 foundation level: the numbers

There are 47,339 promotion puzzles at foundation level, solved 39,137,044 times in total. The median rating is 968.

Often combined with

Advanced pawn · 47,339Endgame tactics · 44,648Checkmate · 12,232Pawn endgame tactics · 11,958Mate in 2 · 7,811Quiet move · 6,405Rook endgame tactics · 5,256

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 67Englund Gambit · 55Italian Game · 31Scandinavian Defense · 27French Defence · 24Queen's Pawn Game · 21Pirc Defence · 20Queen's Gambit Declined · 19

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 foundation level (4.2% of all 47,339).

7.5% need 1 solver move, 41.1% need 2 solver moves, 30.2% need 3 solver moves, 14% need 4 solver moves, 7.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 878 for the shortest solutions, 1015 for the longest.

60% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 22.8% and gives check in 41.6%; 25.1% end in checkmate, 21.6% involve a sacrifice, 51.5% have White to move.

22.8%first move captures
41.6%first move gives check
25.1%end in checkmate
21.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
7.5% · median rating 878
2 solver moves
41.1% · median rating 991
3 solver moves
30.2% · median rating 977
4 solver moves
14% · median rating 839
5+ solver moves
7.2% · median rating 1015

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
60%
Key move by a rook
21%
Key move by a queen
8.2%
Key move by the king
7.2%
Key move by a bishop
2%
Key move by a knight
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
50.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
26.7%
Most valuable capture: queen
10%
Most valuable capture: pawn
6.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
2.6%

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)
82.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
4.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
7.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
2.7%
13–20 pieces
27.2%
12 pieces or fewer
70.2%

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: e8 (7.3%), f8 (5.7%), d8 (5.7%), c8 (4.1%), g7 (4%).

1.32.84.15.77.35.73.61.98
2.93.73.42.92.43.742.77
2.52.931.81.92.62.33.16
2.31.51.41.61.73.45
4
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.

♙
♚
♔♟
♟
♙
White to move · rating 624 · solved 15,788 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f3

Solution: b7 → f2 → b8=Q+

♜
♗♝
♙♚
♟♟
♙♖♗
♟
♙♟
♔♖
Black to move · rating 926 · solved 3,276 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf1

Solution: gxf1=Q#

♚♟♖
♟
♙
♟♜♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 988 · solved 3,057 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra1

Solution: Rb1+ → Rxb1 → axb1=Q+

♚
♔
♞♙
♙
White to move · rating 1069 · solved 3,392 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke7

Solution: g6 → Nc3 → g7 → Kf7 → Kh7 → Ne4 → g8=Q+

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♕♙♝♟
♟♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1099 · solved 4,421 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc6

Solution: Re1+ → Kh2 → d2 → d7 → d1=Q

♚
♖♖
♟♙
♛
♙♙♙♟
♔♘
Black to move · rating 1110 · solved 3,724 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rbd5+

Solution: Qxd5 → Rxd5+ → Kxd5 → c3 → d1=Q

♜♚
♟♟
♙♟
♙
♖♟♜♘♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1161 · solved 2,872 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra2

Solution: Rd1+ → Rxd1 → cxd1=Q#

♜
♔
♙
♟
♚♟
White to move · rating 1167 · solved 15,950 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg8

Solution: Kxg8 → g3 → f7 → g2 → f8=Q+

♜♚
♟♗♟♟♟
♙♝♟
♞♟♙
♙
♗
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1172 · solved 2,805 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc6

Solution: Rxc6 → bxc6 → b7 → Re8 → b8=Q → Rxb8 → Bxb8

♔
♙♘
♟♟
♚
Black to move · rating 1184 · solved 2,677 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e4

Solution: f2 → Nh2 → f1=Q → Nxf1 → Kxf1 → e5 → h2 → e6 → h1=Q

♖
♙♟♚
♝
♟
♜
♔
White to move · rating 1193 · solved 2,786 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c3

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → a8=Q+ → Kh7 → Qe4+

♜♚
♜♟
♙♟♟
♟
♙♟
♙♞♙♙
♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1199 · solved 3,252 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc7

Solution: bxc7 → Kf7 → Rb8 → Rxb8 → cxb8=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 levelChallenging levelDeveloping level