10 underpromotions rated between 1600 and 1799, averaging 1692. 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.
Underpromotion — taking a knight or rook instead of a queen — is right when the queen would be stalemate, or when only a knight delivers the fork or check that wins. Rare, and unforgettable when it appears.
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.
b8=N+ Kd8 Ba5+ Ke8 Rc8#
d8=N+ Kd5 Nxc6
d8=N+ Kd6 Be7#
Qxg1+ Ke2 Qf1+ Kf3 g1=N+
d1=N+ Ke1 Nxe3
Qxg7+ Kxg7 e8=N+ Kf8 Nxc7
f8=N+ Kxh6 Rh7#
f8=N+ Kh8 Qxg7#
d2 Nf4 d1=N+ Ke1 Nxc3 Nxd5 Nxd5
d1=N+ Kf3 Rf2#
Train underpromotion puzzles at your rating →
Underpromotion — taking a knight or rook instead of a queen — is right when the queen would be stalemate, or when only a knight delivers the fork or check that wins. Rare, and unforgettable when it appears.
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 1692, so they suit 1600-rated players.
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.