Pin Chess Puzzles — Rated 1600

10 pins rated between 1600 and 1799, averaging 1634. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.

A pin freezes a piece: it cannot move without exposing something more valuable behind it. An absolute pin is against the king, so the pinned piece legally cannot move at all; a relative pin is against a queen or rook, where moving is legal but loses material. The practical skill is not spotting the pin — it is piling more attackers onto the pinned piece while it cannot run.

These are pitched at 1600-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1600 is one that players around 1600 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.

Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.

Pin puzzles rated 1600

  1. Pin puzzle 1, rated 1649a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1649 · White to play after Qxa1
    Show solution

    Qc8+ Be8 Qxe8+ Rf8 Bb3+ c4 Bxc4+ Kh8 Qxf8#

  2. Pin puzzle 2, rated 1614h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1614 · Black to play after Qd2
    Show solution

    Nxc2+ Ke2 Qxd2+ Kxd2 Nxa1

  3. Pin puzzle 3, rated 1653a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1653 · White to play after Ka5
    Show solution

    Rxa7+ Qa6 Ra4+

  4. Pin puzzle 4, rated 1621h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1621 · Black to play after Nxf7
    Show solution

    Re3+ Kg2 Qd2+ Qf2 Re2

  5. Pin puzzle 5, rated 1617h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1617 · Black to play after Rd1
    Show solution

    Rxc2 Qxc2 Be4

  6. Pin puzzle 6, rated 1617a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1617 · White to play after Rc2
    Show solution

    Rxc2 bxc2 Rxc7+ Kd8 Rxc2

  7. Pin puzzle 7, rated 1671h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1671 · Black to play after Qxd5
    Show solution

    Rd7 Nf5+ gxf5 Qxd7+ Bxd7

  8. Pin puzzle 8, rated 1609a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1609 · White to play after Bxe5
    Show solution

    Bxe5 Qxe5 Re1 Qxe1+ Qxe1+

  9. Pin puzzle 9, rated 1643a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1643 · White to play after Nf4
    Show solution

    Ng5+ Kh8 Qe8#

  10. Pin puzzle 10, rated 1650h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1650 · Black to play after g6
    Show solution

    Rg5+ Bg2 Rxg6

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Frequently asked questions

What is a pin in chess?

A pin freezes a piece: it cannot move without exposing something more valuable behind it. An absolute pin is against the king, so the pinned piece legally cannot move at all; a relative pin is against a queen or rook, where moving is legal but loses material. The practical skill is not spotting the pin — it is piling…

What does a puzzle rating of 1600 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1600 is one that players rated around 1600 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1634, so they suit 1600-rated players.

Are these pin puzzles free?

Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.