Pin Chess Puzzles — Rated 2200+

10 pins rated between 2200 and 3500, averaging 2299. 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 2200+-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 2200+ is one that players around 2200+ 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 2200+

  1. Pin puzzle 1, rated 2258a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 1 · rated 2258 · White to play after Kg8
    Show solution

    Ra8 Bxf6 Kxf6

  2. Pin puzzle 2, rated 2586h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 2 · rated 2586 · Black to play after g4
    Show solution

    Rec8 Qxh7+ Qxh7 Rxh7 Kxh7

  3. Pin puzzle 3, rated 2336a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 3 · rated 2336 · White to play after Qxe6
    Show solution

    Qa8+ Kd7 Nc5+ Ke8 Rxe6+

  4. Pin puzzle 4, rated 2233h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 4 · rated 2233 · Black to play after Rxe5
    Show solution

    Qd4+ Qe3 Ne2+ Kh2 Rxf1 Re8+ Rf8

  5. Pin puzzle 5, rated 2200a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 5 · rated 2200 · White to play after Re1
    Show solution

    Rg7+ Kh6 Rh7+ Kg5 Qg7+ Kh4 Qg4#

  6. Pin puzzle 6, rated 2378a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 6 · rated 2378 · White to play after Nd3
    Show solution

    Qf5 Nxe1 Rxe1 g6 Qxe6+

  7. Pin puzzle 7, rated 2279a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 7 · rated 2279 · White to play after Bf2
    Show solution

    Qh7+ Kf8 Rf1 Qh4+ Qxh4

  8. Pin puzzle 8, rated 2211a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 2211 · White to play after Rxf6
    Show solution

    Bxf6 Qxf6 Rb8+ Kh7 Qxe4+

  9. Pin puzzle 9, rated 2264h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 9 · rated 2264 · Black to play after Rd2
    Show solution

    Rxd4 Rxd4 Nc2+ Kb2 Qxa2+ Kxa2 Nxd4

  10. Pin puzzle 10, rated 2241a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 10 · rated 2241 · White to play after Rc5
    Show solution

    Qh5+ Kd8 dxc5

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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 2200+ mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 2200+ is one that players rated around 2200+ solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 2299, so they suit 2200+-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.