Puzzle ratings on Chess.com
Just like in chess, your Puzzle rating adjusts based on the difficulty of each puzzle compared to your current Puzzle rating.
For example:
If your Puzzle rating is 2000 and you solve a 1000-rated puzzle, youâll gain only a few points. If you miss it, you may lose more.
If you solve a puzzle rated 2500, youâll gain more points. If you miss it, you usually wonât lose as much.
Your selected Puzzle Difficulty also affects rating changes. Higher difficulty settings generally let you gain more rating points for correct solutions and lose fewer points for incorrect attempts.
Using a Hint counts as a failed attempt, just like making an incorrect move. This means youâll lose puzzle rating if you use a Hint.
How does Puzzle Difficulty affect rating gains and losses?
Puzzle Difficulty controls how challenging your rated puzzles feel compared to your current Puzzle rating. It also affects the balance between rating gains and losses.
Standard is the default setting. Puzzles are designed to be challenging but solvable, and most players should be able to solve the majority of them. Standard puzzles are generally easier than those in the previous Puzzle system while still providing a meaningful challenge. Since these puzzles are more manageable, correct solutions usually give smaller rating gains, while incorrect attempts cause comparatively larger losses.
Hard gives you more difficult puzzles than Standard. Youâll generally gain more for correct solutions and lose less for incorrect attempts than you would on Standard.
Extra Hard offers a challenge similar to the previous Puzzle system and is intended for players who want the highest level of difficulty. Rating gains and losses are usually about the same on Extra Hard.
If you want tougher puzzles and a more balanced rating experience, try Hard or Extra Hard. If you prefer puzzles that are challenging but more consistently solvable, Standard is a good choice.
Youâll earn Progression Points when you use a Hint after making one or more correct moves, but you will lose some Puzzle Rating, just like an incorrect move.
How are puzzle ratings determined?
When a puzzle is first added, its rating is determined by who is able to solve it. After a set period, the puzzleâs rating becomes locked and does not change further. In some cases, if a puzzleâs rating is found to be inaccurate, Chess.com may adjust it to better reflect its difficulty.
You can make practicing rated puzzles more dynamic and fun by enabling Puzzle Points.