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Sacrifice Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1789 · solved 423,640,701 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are sacrifice puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 127,782 puzzles, median rating 1789, solved 423,640,701 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 sacrifice puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

sacrifice puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 127,782 sacrifice puzzles at challenging level, solved 423,640,701 times in total. The median rating is 1789.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 83,390Checkmate · 47,755Attraction · 44,705Endgame tactics · 39,573Fork · 28,490Kingside attack · 26,460Mate in 2 · 21,729Mate in 3 · 19,546Pin · 16,281

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 3,923French Defence · 1,816Caro–Kann Defence · 1,422Italian Game · 1,418Queen's Pawn Game · 1,358Scandinavian Defense · 1,077Queen's Gambit Declined · 828Indian Defence · 795

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical sacrifice solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 sacrifice puzzles at challenging level (1.6% of all 127,782).

30.4% need 2 solver moves, 53.3% need 3 solver moves, 13.6% need 4 solver moves, 2.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1770 for the shortest solutions, 1883 for the longest.

39.7% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 61.3% and gives check in 67.6%; 39.8% end in checkmate, 86.9% involve a sacrifice, 56.8% have White to move.

61.3%first move captures
67.6%first move gives check
39.8%end in checkmate
86.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
30.4% · median rating 1770
3 solver moves
53.3% · median rating 1783
4 solver moves
13.6% · median rating 1816
5+ solver moves
2.6% · median rating 1883

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
39.7%
Key move by a queen
31.7%
Key move by a knight
13.8%
Key move by a bishop
10%
Key move by a pawn
4%
Key move by the king
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
22.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
18.8%
Captures nothing along the line
13.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9%
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)
58.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
9.3%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
18.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
13.5%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
4.6%
21–27 pieces
43.4%
13–20 pieces
47.6%
12 pieces or fewer
4.4%

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: f7 (9.3%), h7 (8%), g7 (6.9%), f6 (5.5%), h8 (5.2%).

1.12.321.43.72.25.28
1.11.21.739.36.987
1.22.41.83.55.554.96
2.32.72.71.91.45
1.41.41.34
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved sacrifice 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 2,849 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc4

Solution: Rxa4 → Rxa4 → b5+ → Kc3 → bxa4

♜♜♚
♕♞♛♟♟
♟♟
♟♗
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1603 · solved 2,484 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc8

Solution: Qxd7 → Qxd7 → Nf6+ → Kh8 → Nxd7

♖♖
♟♟♚
♙♟
♛♟
♙♗
♙♗♙♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1625 · solved 3,187 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg7

Solution: h3+ → Kh2 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qf3+ → Kg1 → Qg2#

♛♜♚
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟
♜♘
♕
♖
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1625 · solved 2,984 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3#

♜♚
♟♟
♜♟
♕♙♟
♙♙
♖♛♗
♖
♔
Black to move · rating 1626 · solved 3,044 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd3

Solution: Re1+ → Bxe1 → Rxe1+ → Kh2 → Rh1#

♚
♜♝
♟♟♜♕
♟♟♘
♛♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1631 · solved 2,775 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re6

Solution: Nh6+ → Kh8 → Rf8+ → Bxf8 → Qg8#

♜♜
♟♚
♟♗♟
♛♟♟♟
♙♞♙♕
♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1643 · solved 3,128 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rae1

Solution: Qxe1+ → Rxe1 → Nf3+ → Kf1 → Nxh4

♜♜♚
♟♟♕♟
♙
♘♟
♙♛
♙♙♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1669 · solved 3,537 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf7

Solution: Rxe4+ → fxe4 → Qe3#

♜♚
♟♖♕♟♟
♜
♟♟
♞
♙
♛♙
♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1703 · solved 2,690 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe2

Solution: Qxf8+ → Kxf8 → Rd8#

♜♜♚
♞♟♟♟
♝♘♟
♟♙♕
♟♛
♖
♙♗♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1841 · solved 2,800 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a4

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3+ → Qh4 → Rxh4#

♜♜
♟♟♚♟
♝
♕
♘♙♛
♙♙♞♙♙
♗♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1893 · solved 2,746 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rce1

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh8+ → Qh5 → Rxh5#

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

Sacrifice puzzles by difficulty

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