Puzzle zfaCq — ELO 2025
This is a Black-to-move puzzle rated 2025 ELO. The first move is d5c7, tagged with 10 interpretable concepts and Lichess themes: discoveredAttack, discoveredCheck, endgame.
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Position
Black to move. ELO 2025. Themes: discoveredAttack, discoveredCheck, endgame, exposedKing, long, mate, mateIn3.
FEN: 3QK2k/2N5/P5p1/r2n2P1/8/8/8/7q b - - 0 50
Show solution (6 ply)
Try to find the move yourself first — look for the rarest concept firing on this position before peeking. Solution sequence: d5c7 e8f7 c7e8 d8e8 h8h7 e8g8
Concepts that fire on this position
Our SAE pipeline tagged this position with 10 active features. Each links to a page documenting that pattern in detail.
Why this puzzle is hard
The rarest pattern firing here is Detects a pawn promotion to queen on or near a corner square (a1, c1, f1, h1…, which appears in only 20 of our 9,950 puzzles (0.20%). Rare patterns tend to be the bottleneck — players who haven't internalised them will fail this puzzle even when their tactical calculation is otherwise solid.
The puzzle's Lichess ELO of 2025 reflects this: solvers below that rating typically miss the cue entirely.
Similar puzzles
Puzzles sharing the most concept tags with this one — a stronger signal than theme overlap because it reflects the actual patterns Leela recognises.
Train this pattern
Click through to the Climbchess trainer to attempt the position interactively against the same Leela network that tagged it. The trainer adapts difficulty using your live concept-recognition profile — it surfaces puzzles tagged with concepts you've been missing, not random brawls.
If you want the underlying methodology, the how-it-works page walks through the SAE training run, the labelling pipeline, and the puzzle-tagging procedure end-to-end.
Frequently asked
What is the rating of this puzzle?
2025 Lichess ELO. Solvers below that rating typically miss the key cue.
Which side moves first?
Black to move; the first move of the solution is d5c7.
What concepts does it train?
10 SAE-derived patterns including White Queen on the 1st or 2nd rank, unthreatened by black…; Detects a king on a square with few (0-2) friendly…; Kings are in close proximity in an endgame, with one side….
Can I attempt it without an account?
Yes — Climbchess requires no signup or email. Click the trainer link to play the position interactively.