Intermediate chess puzzles
A mixed set for players who know the basics: checkmates, forks, pins, discovered attacks and sacrifices rated 1250 to 1749..
About intermediate chess puzzles
A mixed set for players who know the basics: checkmates, forks, pins, discovered attacks and sacrifices rated 1250 to 1749.
How to spot it
- Start every puzzle by listing checks, captures and threats for the side to move.
- Say the idea out loud: a fork, a pin, a back rank. Naming it makes the next puzzle easier.
- If you miss one, press Show solution and replay it from the start until you could play it without looking.
A worked example
K
RR
N
Q
Q
B
B
R
KBlack to move. White has just played Bxh8. Find the best move.
Solution: 29... Qf3+ 30. Rg2 Qxg2#
Qf3+ checks the king and also attacks the pawn on f4 and the knight on c3, so your opponent has to answer the check. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: A mixed set for players who know the basics: checkmates, forks, pins, discovered attacks and sacrifices rated 1250 to 1749..
The highlighted squares show White's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1422 rating).
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Questions
How are these puzzles chosen?
Each set mixes ten motifs, such as mate in 1, mate in 2, forks, pins and back rank mates, picked at this rating band from the Lichess puzzle database.
Where do these puzzles come from?
They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.
Are the puzzles free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.