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Queen endgame tactics Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1768 · solved 29,996,563 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are queen endgame tactics puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 14,582 puzzles, median rating 1768, solved 29,996,563 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 queen endgame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

queen endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 14,582 queen endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level, solved 29,996,563 times in total. The median rating is 1768.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 14,582Defensive move · 2,830Checkmate · 2,527Advanced pawn · 1,681Mate in 2 · 1,311Quiet move · 1,014Skewer · 692Mate in 1 · 597

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical queen endgame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 queen endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level (13.7% of all 14,582).

4.8% need 1 solver move, 40.4% need 2 solver moves, 38.5% need 3 solver moves, 11.1% need 4 solver moves, 5.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1679 for the shortest solutions, 1827 for the longest.

85.5% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 33% and gives check in 70%; 18% end in checkmate, 23.6% involve a sacrifice, 51.2% have White to move.

33%first move captures
70%first move gives check
18%end in checkmate
23.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
4.8% · median rating 1679
2 solver moves
40.4% · median rating 1757
3 solver moves
38.5% · median rating 1777
4 solver moves
11.1% · median rating 1788
5+ solver moves
5.2% · median rating 1827

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
85.5%
Key move by a pawn
12%
Key move by the king
2.4%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
69.8%
Captures nothing along the line
22.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
7.4%

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)
67.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
16.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
0.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
4.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
11.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
0%
13–20 pieces
29%
12 pieces or fewer
71%

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: f5 (4.1%), f6 (4%), e5 (3.9%), f4 (3.8%), e4 (3.8%).

1.51.51.422.431.22.48
11.11.31.721.27
1.322.13.642.216
1.71.633.94.12.41.45
1.12.33.73.83.82.82.84
1.222.92.62.83
12
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♟♚
♟♟
♔
♙♛♕
♙♙
Black to move · rating 1621 · solved 1,275 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg4

Solution: Qf5+ → Kh4 → Qh5#

♟♕♛♚♟
♟♟
♙
♙
♙♙♔
White to move · rating 1630 · solved 1,471 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf7

Solution: d6 → Qxc7 → dxc7

♕
♟♟
♟♚
♟♛♙
♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 1631 · solved 1,095 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: Qd1+ → Qg4 → f3

♚
♟
♕
♙
♛
♙
♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1636 · solved 1,044 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd6+

Solution: Qxd6 → cxd6 → a5 → Kf1 → a4

♟♕♟♚♟
♙♛♟
♙♙♔
♙♟♙
Black to move · rating 1650 · solved 3,358 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Qxe6+ → Qxe6 → fxe6

♕
♟♚
♙♔
♛
Black to move · rating 1653 · solved 1,189 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf7

Solution: Qh1+ → Kg4 → Qh5+ → Kf4 → g5+ → Ke3 → Qxf7

♟
♟
♛♚
♕
♔♙
White to move · rating 1668 · solved 956 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa4

Solution: Qf3+ → Kh4 → Qh3#

♕
♟♟♚
♟
♟
♙♙♔
♙♙♙
♙♛
Black to move · rating 1672 · solved 1,097 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh4

Solution: Qh2+ → Kg5 → Qh6+ → Kf5 → Qf6#

♚
♙♕♟
♟♟♟
♟♙
♙
♙♛
♔
White to move · rating 1674 · solved 1,655 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf3+

Solution: Kc2 → Qe2+ → Qd2 → Qc4+ → Qc3

♚
♟♟
♙♟
♟♛♟
♕♙
♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1678 · solved 1,085 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe4

Solution: Qxe4 → fxe4 → c6 → Kf8 → c7

♟♚
♟♟
♟♙♟
♙♙♙
♙
♔♕♛
Black to move · rating 1692 · solved 956 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg2

Solution: Qxg2+ → Kxg2 → Kg6 → Kf3 → Kh5

♚
♟♟♟♟
♛♙
♟
♙♟♕
♙
♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1710 · solved 979 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg8

Solution: Qb8+ → Qc8 → Qxc8#

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

Queen endgame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelDeveloping level