Pawn promotion puzzles
Get a pawn to the last row and make a new queen, often after clearing the way with a sacrifice or a check.
Count the moves: a pawn that cannot be caught in time is worth a queen. Sometimes a knight is the right promotion (underpromotion) because it gives check or forks.
8 real puzzles from games on Lichess, easiest first, rated 576 to 2768. The course has 786 promotion puzzles in all.
Puzzle 1 · rated 576
Black just played Nxe5. White to move.
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34. Rf8+ Rxf8 35. gxf8=Q#
Puzzle 2 · rated 933
White just played c4. Black to move.
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37... d2 38. Ra1 d1=Q 39. Rxd1 Bxd1
Puzzle 3 · rated 1180
White just played Qb1+. Black to move.
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67... Qb3+ 68. Qxb3+ axb3 69. g5 b2 70. g6 b1=Q
Puzzle 4 · rated 1429
Black just played Nxd5. White to move.
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19. Qe8+ Rxe8 20. fxe8=Q#
Puzzle 5 · rated 1744
Black just played Kd6. White to move.
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45. a6 Kxc5 46. a7 Kd6 47. a8=Q
Puzzle 6 · rated 2012
Black just played Rxh7. White to move.
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33. axb7+ Ba3 34. bxc8=N+ Kb8 35. Nxd6 Rxf7 36. Nxf7
Puzzle 7 · rated 2316
Black just played Rd4. White to move.
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31. Qxd4 Bxd4 32. e7 Bc5 33. e8=Q+
Puzzle 8 · rated 2768
White just played Kd2. Black to move.
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45... g3 46. b7 gxf2 47. b8=Q f1=Q 48. Qf8+ Kg4 49. Qg7+ Kf3
Free, no sign-up. Puzzles come in order of difficulty and the ladder adjusts to how you solve.
Puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Every line was replayed move by move by the course's rules engine. Part of Chess Path, a free chess course. Free coach for your Chess.com and Lichess games.