Puzzle zzIhN_M — ELO 1657

By · · 3 min read · Updated May 8, 2026

This is a White-to-move puzzle rated 1657 ELO. The first move is e3c1, tagged with 10 interpretable concepts and Lichess themes: advantage, endgame, long.

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Position

White to move. ELO 1657. Themes: advantage, endgame, long.

abcdefgh87654321

FEN: 1kr5/pp4p1/8/4p3/1n5p/1B2B3/PP5P/K1q1Q3 w - - 0 29

Show solution (6 ply)

Try to find the move yourself first — look for the rarest concept firing on this position before peeking. Solution sequence: e3c1 b4d3 e1d2 c8c1 d2c1 d3c1

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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 A square on the 6th, 7th, or 8th rank is attacked by one white piece and…, which appears in only 94 of our 9,950 puzzles (0.94%). 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 1657 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?

1657 Lichess ELO. Solvers below that rating typically miss the key cue.

Which side moves first?

White to move; the first move of the solution is e3c1.

What concepts does it train?

10 SAE-derived patterns including A knight (either colour) that is actively supported by a…; A king on the back rank exposed to at least one enemy…; Detects a king on the target square that is not attacked….

Can I attempt it without an account?

Yes — Climbchess requires no signup or email. Click the trainer link to play the position interactively.