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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How does Chess.com calculate puzzle rating?

How does chess.com calculate puzzle rating? I am curious because today, I managed to gain rating while incorrectly solving a puzzle. Could someone help me out? (Also on puzzles that are already rated, ...
MrChessR's user avatar
  • 230
-2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Best move in algebraic notation

I have no experience in chess, and I tried my best to answer this question myself but am finding difficulties. What is the answer? It's for another game.
Deb's user avatar
  • 11
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Only Rook endgame!

Is it possible to win (black or white) in this position? [fen "2k5/5R2/8/4K3/r7/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
ShBh's user avatar
  • 151
4 votes
2 answers
484 views

Is there a real version of the chess puzzle from The Yiddish Policeman's Union? If not - can it be made?

I will preface this by saying that the following contains a spoiler for Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union, so tread carefully. Chess features heavily in the book and a major plot point is ...
AKemats's user avatar
  • 477
-2 votes
1 answer
125 views

Castling on King side [closed]

This is a quiz from a chess website. The challenge is to castle on King Side. White to play. How can we do this ?
Manikanth V's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
416 views

Is there any program which I can use to train custom tactics puzzles?

Essentially, I would like to have the following features/workflow: I obtain a .pgn file with (puzzle) positions and moves (the solutions) I load that .pgn into the program and then solve (...
ndbd's user avatar
  • 539
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

Searching games by chess positions

I have a somewhat weird question that is only indirectly related to chess. I am trying to solve a chess-related puzzle in which I have to find games played by Soviet chess players based on positions. ...
Vosoni's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
1 answer
171 views

Examples of interactive exercises to play chess with nullmoves

I am looking for interactive exercises that involve playing chess against computer which makes nullmoves allowing the learner to attack without thinking of defense. I know of one platform which allows ...
MichalRyszardWojcik's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
110 views

Why would white play Qf5

I was playing the following puzzle on lichess playing the black pieces and found the move Bf5, expecting either Qe2 or Qe3, resulting in me taking the white bishop on c2 and completing the puzzle. The ...
Remy's user avatar
  • 103
4 votes
3 answers
154 views

Do "white to lose in X" puzzles exist?

The most common form of chess puzzle is white/black to win in X. I'm curious whether a form of "white to lose in X" exists. For instance, a position that seems winning for white, but if they ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
62 views

Good chess puzzle that involves queen running around the board?

Basically title. Ideally not too difficult or too many steps, but if you have any good puzzles where the queen traverses across the board. Thanks in advance!
Tim Ratigan's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
3k views

White to play and win - only moving the rook once

[Title "White to play and win - only moving the rook once"] [fen "k7/8/8/8/8/8/8/K1R5 w - - 0 1"] This is an exercise in using the opposition and outflanking from John Hawkins' ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
92 views

Shatranj puzzle by Aladdin - white to play and win

[Title "White to play and win"] [fen "3qrb2/4k3/2p1NpRp/P3pPpP/2Pp2r1/BP1R1pP1/2Qnpr2/5B1K w - - 0 1"] This is attributed to Ala'Addin (aka Aladdin). Reminder, the rules of ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
153 views

Can a castling checkmate be engineered from this position?

I get the following position pretty often in online bullet as White. It's mate in a few (for instance, 9. Bf4+ Kc5 10. Qd5+ Kb6 11.Qb5#). Needless to say, the setup is dubious. This looks like a prime ...
SE - stop firing the good guys's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
133 views

Hexagonal Chess Puzzle - Black to play and win

Published in Hex Press 4 - September 1977 and taken from the game Armstrong vs Springgay Reminder of the rules here. Hint 1: If black could lure the white queen to g7 then Ne5+ would discover an ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
175 views

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, ...
Zuriel's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
214 views

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 ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 94.5k
4 votes
1 answer
198 views

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"]
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 94.5k
6 votes
2 answers
714 views

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 ...
Jorgen's user avatar
  • 63
2 votes
2 answers
451 views

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.
Lot's user avatar
  • 403
0 votes
2 answers
190 views

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 ...
Billy Istiak's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
67 views

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 ...
Arda Kaan Özcan's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
145 views

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 ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
23 votes
7 answers
4k views

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 ...
Hauptideal's user avatar
  • 5,985
4 votes
2 answers
197 views

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 ...
alphacapture's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
96 views

How can I mate the black king in 4 moves or less (helpmate)

In this helpmate puzzle, it is White to move.
David Meléndez's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
105 views

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 ...
qwr's user avatar
  • 3,587
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

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 ...
qwr's user avatar
  • 3,587
4 votes
5 answers
432 views

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 ...
Ian Olsen's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
136 views

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 ...
Johnny Blaze's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

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 ...
emdio's user avatar
  • 2,114
5 votes
3 answers
717 views

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 ...
AyushDwi's user avatar
  • 115
2 votes
2 answers
137 views

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 ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
225 views

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&...
eyeballfrog's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
636 views

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:...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
854 views

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 - - ...
DialFrost's user avatar
  • 1,123
17 votes
6 answers
4k views

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 ...
Garnet's user avatar
  • 339
0 votes
1 answer
169 views

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.
Josip Maričević's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
3k views

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 ...
Josip Maričević's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
303 views

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 ...
PaulMorphy's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

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 ...
hkBst's user avatar
  • 1,664
6 votes
1 answer
157 views

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"] [...
Greg's user avatar
  • 161
9 votes
1 answer
621 views

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 ...
Lot's user avatar
  • 403
6 votes
2 answers
196 views

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 ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
5k views

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 ...
Lot's user avatar
  • 403
4 votes
2 answers
312 views

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. ...
AKemats's user avatar
  • 477
7 votes
2 answers
225 views

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] ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
264 views

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 ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
36 votes
13 answers
5k views

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 ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
217 views

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"] [...
BCLC's user avatar
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