Moderate Chess Puzzles

Play and solve medium-difficulty chess puzzles for enthusiasts. You’ll find solutions and historical details and you can play each puzzle live against the computer.

diagram of Wuisard vs. Durufle chess puzzle

Wuisard vs. Durufle

Medium difficulty puzzle – mate in 5, white to move.
diagram of Laszlo Vadaz vs. Carsten Lingnau chess puzzle

Laszlo Vadaz vs. Carsten Lingnau

Medium difficulty puzzle – mate in 2, white to move.
diagram of Pilotelle vs. Vernay chess puzzle

Pilotelle vs. Vernay

Medium difficulty puzzle. White to move and mate in 3
diagram of Promote to Knight chess puzzle

Promote to Knight

There are cases where an underpromotion would be useful. World Champion Emanuel Lasker presented a position in which White is in serious trouble, that not even a promotion to Queen would solve.
diagram of Mate in Three with a Promotion chess puzzle

Mate in Three with a Promotion

An interesting puzzle composed by Niels Hoeg in 1905 and featuring promotions: White can mate (win) in three moves. Can you find the right solution?
diagram of Kasparov Mates in 3 chess puzzle

Kasparov Mates in 3

This position is from Garry Kasparov vs Elmar Magerramov, USSR, 1982. Kasparov checkmated Elmar in 3 moves. Can you do that?