Puzzle zzNm2_M — ELO 738

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

This is a Black-to-move puzzle rated 738 ELO. The first move is b8a8, tagged with 10 interpretable concepts and Lichess themes: kingsideAttack, mate, mateIn2.

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Position

Black to move. ELO 738. Themes: kingsideAttack, mate, mateIn2, middlegame, short.

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FEN: 1k2qb1r/rpQ2p2/6p1/3P4/4p1p1/3bB3/P6P/K1R3NR b - - 1 22

Show solution (4 ply)

Try to find the move yourself first — look for the rarest concept firing on this position before peeking. Solution sequence: b8a8 c7c8 e8c8 c1c8

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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 White knight on b1, attacked by white pieces, with no black attackers, which appears in only 5 of our 9,950 puzzles (0.05%). 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 738 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?

738 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 b8a8.

What concepts does it train?

10 SAE-derived patterns including Detects white king safely castled on the back rank…; White knight on b1 or g1, defended by at least one white…; Detects a piece (king, knight, or bishop) on a corner….

Can I attempt it without an account?

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