Chess puzzles rated 1500 to 1800
The level where one pattern stops being enough and the answer starts being two patterns in a particular order.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 1500–1796
- Section: The Ladder
- 5 levels
What changes at this level
From 1500 up, most positions need two ideas stacked on top of each other. A deflection that sets up a fork. A check that drags the king onto the square you wanted it on. A quiet move that removes the one defender, after which the obvious tactic finally works. The individual components are things you already know; the difficulty is the ordering.
The other change is the defence. At this level the opponent finds the best reply rather than the one that loses fastest, so a line that only works against one answer is not a line. In this set fifty-six of the 120 need three of your moves to finish, up from forty-five in the band below, and the split between middlegames and endgames is almost exactly even.
How to spot it
- Calculate their best defence, not their most likely one. If your idea only works against the natural reply, keep looking.
- When the capture does not work, ask what would have to change for it to work. That question finds the preparatory move.
- Look for forcing moves that improve your position even when they do not win. A check that gains a tempo is often move one of a two-move idea.
- Count the defenders of the square you want to land on, then look for a way to reduce that number by one.
Three positions from the 1500 to 1800 band
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
32...Nxd3 33.Qe8#
The line ends in checkmate. Positions in this band usually need two ideas in the right order rather than one, which is what makes 1500 to 1800 puzzles feel different.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1505 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
26...Bxe4 27.Qg7#
The line ends in checkmate. Positions in this band usually need two ideas in the right order rather than one, which is what makes 1500 to 1800 puzzles feel different.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1630 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 3
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
35...Kd2 36.Qe1#
The line ends in checkmate. Positions in this band usually need two ideas in the right order rather than one, which is what makes 1500 to 1800 puzzles feel different.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1738 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
What actually moves a rating from 1500 to 1800
Calculation discipline, mostly. Players stuck in this band usually calculate a line until it looks good and then play it, rather than calculating until it is finished. The habit worth building is to find the opponent's best reply at every branch, and to stop only at a position you can actually assess.
The second thing is endgame technique, and it is the more reliable of the two. Rook endgames alone decide an enormous share of games at this level, and they are learnable in a way that middlegame judgement is not. An afternoon on the Lucena and Philidor positions is worth more rating than a month of opening video.
Questions people ask
How do I break through 1500 in chess?
Slow down at critical moments and finish your calculations. Most players at 1500 have the patterns; what they do not have is the discipline to check the opponent's best reply before committing, and that single habit is worth a large number of points.
What puzzle rating should a 1600 player do?
Around 1500 to 1800, which is roughly where you solve four out of five and have to think about the rest. Puzzle ratings and game ratings are not the same scale, so use your solve rate rather than the number.
Are tactics still the main thing at 1500?
Yes, but the useful kind changes. Single-pattern tactics are mostly already there; what wins games in this band is two-move ideas and not missing the opponent's, which is why the sets here are longer and include defensive positions.
Nearby patterns
Strong Club sits in The Ladder. The rest of that section: