Questions tagged [puzzles]
Often, a puzzle type of problem in which a tactical or positional solution is required, like White/Black to move and win”, in what is often a middlegame or endgame-esqe position. But a puzzle can also be a chess riddle, chess math, or any other non-normal chess problem. Questions about solving puzzles, puzzle apps and websites, how to understand the idea behind a puzzle, etc. are also on-topic.
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Anti-Tactics Chess Puzzles?
Many websites (such as chess.com) provide chess tactic puzzles and I am wondering about the value of "anti-tactic" puzzles. By anti-tactic, I mean a position where if I make a careless move, ...
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Black to play and win but why was the move played a blunder?
In the position below Minic just had to play one move to reach the time control and, in those days, the adjournment which would have given his team a chance to find the win. Unfortunately he blundered ...
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White to play and win
A really tough one to start the New Year from national master Nelson Lopez
[title "White to move and win"]
[fen "1rkb4/pNp5/8/2N4p/8/5B2/4K3/8 w - - 0 1"]
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Help understanding lichess puzzle 274165037
Link to puzzle:
https://lichess.org/training/274165037
I got the correct solution first try, but I don't understand what it accomplishes. Seems the king can escape via f2 and rook h1 should deal with ...
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Why is this puzzle solved [closed]
I did the following puzzle on chess.com:
And it shows solved with the following configuration:
I do not see why this is a solution. Black can take the Rook, and I don't see how to punish it.
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Chess middle game puzzle online for free
Recently, I was looking for a website where I can find only middle game puzzles. I found the website, I had solved most of the puzzles in less than a minute (If I get enough time, I can solve any ...
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Are randomly created Queen's Quadrille and Hippodrome puzzles always solvable?
I found two chess puzzles on chessvariants.com, Queens's Quadrille and Hippodrome.
I'm thinking of creating random Queen's Quadrille and Hippodrome puzzles with a computer program.
My question is can ...
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Minority Breakthrough
Consider the following well-known motif:
[FEN "8/1k6/5pp1/7p/7P/6P1/8/7K b - - 0 1"]
Black wins even with Ka8, but being true Patzer:
1...g5?? 2.g4! Kmoch's crosslever, 1-0.
Now in the ...
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23
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7
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Why do chess puzzles need a unique solution?
Why do chess puzzles need a unique solution?
This is different from real games, where such situations do occur, but more frequently, there are multiple avenues to success. Contrary to what one might ...
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Why trade rook for bishop and knight in this puzzle?
The puzzle https://lichess.org/training/kFzbF has position
[Title "Black to move"]
[FEN "r3rnk1/1bq2pp1/1ppb1n1p/p2p4/3P1B2/P2B1N1P/1PPQNPP1/3RR1K1 b - - 1 16"]
and the solution ...
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How can I mate the black king in 4 moves or less (helpmate)
In this helpmate puzzle, it is White to move.
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What is the idea of this rook move in this puzzle?
https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1000668
(Also if anyone knows how to start the PGN player with a black move, please let me know)
[Event "Juan Martinez Sola Open A"]
[Site "Almeria ...
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Why does Stockfish recommend this queen sacrifice in this puzzle?
[Variant "From Position"]
[FEN "r1b1r1k1/pp3ppp/2p5/2Ppn1q1/1P1Q2B1/4P1N1/P4PPP/R4RK1 w - - 9 18"]
[Title ""]
1. Bxc8 Raxc8 2. f4
https://lichess.org/training/fRzq3
The ...
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5
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Where can I find exercises where the best move isn't always a tactical one?
I know solving a lot of tactics problems has its benefits, but also its limitations. In a real game there is no way to know if a tactic is present — maybe the best move is defensive. I am seeking ...
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Non-Tactical Puzzles
Its surprisingly hard to find chess puzzles where the solution is not necessarily tactic resulting in checkmate or a heavy win of material. The problem with these tactical puzzles is that they do not ...
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Looking for a webpage with chess puzzles in which you had to mentally play a couple moves before an interesting position arised
As per the title; instead of the typical chess puzzle in which a side has to play and find the best move, you were given a couple moves and then were asked about the resulting position.
I guess I ...
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How do you analyze this position holistically?
So I was solving a puzzle, and I got it wrong in my first attempt, so I checked with the engine and understood the solution. But I think that I am missing some aspects of the puzzle as I'm able to get ...
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Most different mate-in-N depending on black's move
The puzzle (this may have a known answer) is to construct a position such that:
If Black makes move A, it's mate in 1 for white.
If Black makes move B, it's mate in 2 for white.
...
If Black makes ...
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1
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Find a forced checkmate on dark squares only
In a recent Youtube video, the black player reaches the following position
[White "NN"]
[Black "Chess Simp"]
[FEN "r2r4/ppp2p1k/2n4P/4p3/P3n3/B1P1P2P/P1qPK2P/R6R b - - 0 1&...
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Which legal positions with White to move are also legal with Black to move (if colours and board are flipped)?
For every reachable position, is the equivalent position for black also reachable?
If so, can you prove it?
If not, which reachable positions for white are not reachable for black and why?
Definitions:...
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How does white win/get an advantage here?
In the board below, I'm not entirely sure who is winning, black's rook looks dangerous at the moment.
Its white to move
How does white have an advantage?
4rk2/5p1p/2p3pP/8/p7/PqP1Q3/1P1R1P2/1K6 w - - ...
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How does Black win this position?
I recently ran across notes I made from a book on endgames (I don't remember the book). According to my notes, Black wins this position regardless of whose move it is. I don't see it, and Stockfish ...
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How to place certain pieces on a 4x4 chess board without any of them attacking each other?
How to place 2 bishops and 7 knights on a 4x4 chessboard without any of them attacking other pieces?
There are no other restrictions.
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How can I place certain pieces on a 5x5 chess board without any of them attacking each other?
How can I place one queen, two bishops, two knights, and two rooks, on a 5×5 chessboard without any of them attacking other pieces?
After placing just queen and rooks, I can't make room for the other ...
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Explanation of Hard Puzzle #34
Wikipedia defines a chess tactic as:
In chess, a tactic refers to a sequence of moves that limits the opponent's options and may result in tangible gain.
I'm having a hard time understanding a ...
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Why can the bishop just take the knight in this Lichess puzzle?
In this Lichess puzzle, after the initial moves
[title "Black to move"]
[fen ""]
[Startply "17"]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1. c4 b5 2. cxb5 Bb7 3. Nf3 g5 4. Nxg5 Bg7 ...
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Why do these convergent lines evaluate differently?
I recently analyzed alternative lines for this puzzle on chess.com.
[Event "French Championship"]
[Site "Val d'Isere FRA"]
[Date "2002.08.23"]
[Round "5"]
[...
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Chess.com daily puzzle question (Gruenfeld's endgame magic)
In today's chess.com daily puzzle, I have no idea why the first move of the solution makes sense.
[fen "8/8/8/pp6/P7/7K/1k6/R7 w - - 0 1"]
The first step in the suggested solution is Ra3.
I ...
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2
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2P winning against Q
Inspiration
BCLC guessed (see link) that even only 2P can win against Q, even if the Q side has the move, if they are advanced far enough. I quickly checked a few promising position candidates in a ...
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Why did I fail this puzzle?
I just failed a puzzle at chess.com, despite being 2 moves away from check mate. I am quite sure that there is no move I could have made to get check mate in 1 move, so I am wondering how I failed.
I ...
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On an 8-by-∞ board, who wins between an infinite number of pawns and a rook?
I've had this puzzle rattling around in my brain for the past few days and I want to know what you all make of it.
Imagine chess played on a board with eight ranks and an infinite number of files. ...
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What checkmating move takes the most moves to set up?
An extension of this question.
What checkmating move requires the greatest number of moves to be played in a game?
A move is distinguished by:
what colour is moving [unlike the previous question]
...
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How long could a player last with all their possible moves written out in advance?
In this scenario:
Black plays normally (and optimally).
White has prepared a long list of possible moves for each turn before the game starts, then movement is automatic. Each turn, each move for that ...
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13
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What move requires the greatest number of moves before it could be played in a game?
The move e2e4 could be played on move 1. (One half-move)
The move e7xd6 could be played no earlier than by black on move 3 (6 half-moves).
What move(s) has the latest "earliest possible move it ...
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3
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Why doesn't greek gift work in Pozsonyi vs Pataki 2005? Or does it?
original game. i'm asking about move 21.
[Event "Ch Hungary (team) 2005/06"]
[Site "HUN"]
[Date "2005.12.04"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Istvan Pozsonyi"]
[...
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Is there a resource for chess puzzles that are altered just enough to discourage easy engine use to solve?
I'm hosting a chess night and would like to post a few wallchart puzzles but would like to discourage folks from secretly whipping out their phone's chess app/engine and scoring points unfairly.
For ...
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I can't solve this puzzle
I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to solve this puzzle. White to move.
[FEN "r5k1/6p1/1pp2p1p/p2n1q2/3Q4/P4PB1/2P3PP/4R1K1 w - - 0 1"]
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Till how many moves we have to think?
I am rated around 2150 on lichess. Recently I was reading a book which is on middle games "Imagination in chess" by Paata Gaprindashvili.On page number 10 there are some puzzles available. I ...
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1
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Most difficult puzzles for chess engines [duplicate]
I know this type of question has been asked a few times but each of the puzzles in the answers are solved by engines. For example Plaskett’s puzzle and other common ones such as Mitrofanov deflection ...
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I can't understand this puzzle
I came across this puzzle and even after I learned the answer I couldn't quite understand what's going on. I understand that we amaterial advantage by capturing the knight with a pawn, but I can't ...
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Why are these sequence of steps played to solve this puzzle?
[FEN "rnbqkb1r/pp4pp/2p1pn2/3p1p2/3P4/BP4PN/P1P1PPBP/RN1QK2R b KQkq - 0 1"]
[StartFlipped "0"]
1... Bxa3 2.Nxa3 Qa5+ 3.Kf1 Qxa3
FEN: rnbqkb1r/pp4pp/2p1pn2/3p1p2/3P4/BP4PN/...
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Why does Stockfish evaluate this Lichess puzzle position as so advantageous for Black?
[Event "Rated Rapid game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/tZI4OlZ3"]
[Date "2021.04.20"]
[White "Paulinos"]
[Black "Qedesh76"]
[FEN "r3qrk1/2pbbppp/...
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How can white gain a slight advantage in this position? (puzzle for beginners)
Try solving the following puzzle authored by me (for beginners).
White to move and gain a slight advantage, despite being a Queen down for a bishop at present:
[FEN "2k1r3/pp6/n5q1/1N3p2/8/3B4/...
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Can black convert a +5.6 game into a draw (assuming both players play optimally)?
This shows a +5.6 winning for white at depth 33 (Stockfish 13+). White does have a bit of material advantage (knight) and black has more pawn islands. Can black convert this into a draw (assuming both ...
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2
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Another mobility puzzle
This is the "opposite" of A mobility puzzle - I held it back because it could have interfered with Schwalbe 2021 construction challenge.
Thus: Put a maximal number m of pieces on the board ...
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3
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Longest forced win after 3 moves
It is possible to reach (exactly) #8 after just 3 moves:
[Title "#8 after 3 moves"]
[FEN ""]
1. e3 f6 2. Qf3 Kf7 3. Nh3 Qe8! 4. Ng5+ Kg6 5. Bd3+ Kxg5 6. Qf4+ Kh5 7. g4+ Kh4 8. Qg3+...
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1
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680
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Normal puzzles vs puzzle rush performance on chess.com
I have been doing normal puzzles and puzzle rush on chess.com for the last 6 months. And I noticed that my performance in normal puzzles now jumped from 2100-2200 to 2400-2500. However, in puzzle rush,...
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1
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Illustrative puzzles for chess themes [closed]
This is a big-list question regarding chess themes (mostly tactical). There are some puzzles that illustrate important aspects of a tactic (esp. useful in a chess coaching setting). For example, the ...
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1
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146
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I'm struggling to find the full solution of a chess problem
I'm starting to think that this puzzle, found on chess.com here in the 5th post down, does not have a correct full solution. But it features a nice line if Black moves wrongly, so judge by yourself.
[...
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A mobility puzzle
[FEN "8/8/8/8/pp6/kp6/1p6/1K6 w KQkq - 0 1"]
This is a well-known position: both sides are stalemated (if it's their move). It's the lightest position with this property.
Devise the ...
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