Pin Chess Puzzles — Rated 1800

10 pins rated between 1800 and 1999, averaging 1855. 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 1800-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1800 is one that players around 1800 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 1800

  1. Pin puzzle 1, rated 1899h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1899 · Black to play after Qxg6
    Show solution

    Re6 h5 b3 Kh7 Rxg6 hxg6 b2 g7 b1=Q+

  2. Pin puzzle 2, rated 1834h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1834 · Black to play after Rxd4
    Show solution

    Rh7 Qxh7+ Kxh7

  3. Pin puzzle 3, rated 1803h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1803 · Black to play after Nc7
    Show solution

    Nxc3+ Ka1 Rg1#

  4. Pin puzzle 4, rated 1897a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1897 · White to play after Qf6
    Show solution

    Qh7+ Kf8 Rf4 Qxf4 exf4

  5. Pin puzzle 5, rated 1888h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1888 · Black to play after Bf3
    Show solution

    Qh4+ Ke2 Qf2+ Kd3 Qxf3

  6. Pin puzzle 6, rated 1851h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1851 · Black to play after Bxd6
    Show solution

    Nf5 Bc7 Nxg3

  7. Pin puzzle 7, rated 1881a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1881 · White to play after g5
    Show solution

    Rxg5+ Kh8 Rg6 Qe7 Rxd6

  8. Pin puzzle 8, rated 1824a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1824 · White to play after Kf8
    Show solution

    Nxe6+ Kg8 Qd8#

  9. Pin puzzle 9, rated 1871a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1871 · White to play after hxg6
    Show solution

    Rxf7+ Nxf7 Rxf7+ Kxf7 Qxd6

  10. Pin puzzle 10, rated 1805h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1805 · Black to play after fxg3
    Show solution

    Qxh4+ Kg2 Qxg3+

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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 1800 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1800 is one that players rated around 1800 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1855, so they suit 1800-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.