A strong chess puzzle does more than ask you to find the best move. It reveals how you think, calculate, and evaluate a position. In this lesson, I’ll present a chess puzzle test from a 2005 game, Francisco Vallejo Pons vs Garry Kasparov.

At first, the position may look like a normal tactical opportunity, but the real challenge is deeper. Test yourself here. It’s Black to move

This lesson shows why improving at chess is not just about solving more puzzles. It is about learning how strong players approach positions step by step.

You’ll learn how to:

• Analyze a tactical position correctly
• Look beyond the obvious move
• Improve your chess calculation
• Understand how stronger players think
• Build a better decision-making process

If you want to test your real chess strength and improve your thinking process, this puzzle lesson is a great place to start.

Vallejo vs Kasparov Puzzle Test Video Lesson

Below, you can find the complete chess game shown in the video:

Browse the Chess Tactics Lesson Guide. Access lessons on tactical motifs, patterns and combinations across all phases of the game.

Solving puzzles is a lot of fun and they can sharpen your tactical eye so that you can recognize patterns in your games. However, many players cannot convert their skills in puzzle solving into gameplay.

This is because they use a different mindset when solving puzzles than when playing games. They usually look for forcing lines and sacrifices in puzzles but play timid and defensive positions in real games. Thus, they get stuck in some rating.

Fortunately, we got you covered. With the help of a special course bundle we’ve created, you can reach 2000 Elo rating. Check out our Boost Your Elo to 2000 Bundle.

Individually, the courses included here are valued at $486. But if you purchase them as a course bundle, then you can get them for only $197. That’s nearly a 60% discount!!