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Attraction Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1423 · solved 340,373,876 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are attraction puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 73,351 puzzles, median rating 1423, solved 340,373,876 times. The twelve below are among the most-solved of them; try each on the board, then read the numbers further down to see how solutions at this level are built.

All attraction puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

attraction puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 73,351 attraction puzzles at developing level, solved 340,373,876 times in total. The median rating is 1423.

Often combined with

Sacrifice · 43,443Middlegame tactics · 37,110Endgame tactics · 34,516Fork · 26,896Checkmate · 26,103Mate in 2 · 14,235Kingside attack · 13,800Mate in 3 · 9,655Exposed king · 8,113

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 1,531French Defence · 589Queen's Pawn Game · 511Italian Game · 496Caro–Kann Defence · 453Scandinavian Defense · 355Queen's Gambit Declined · 334Indian Defence · 295

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical attraction solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 attraction puzzles at developing level (2.7% of all 73,351).

27.4% need 2 solver moves, 61.8% need 3 solver moves, 9.8% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1388 for the shortest solutions, 1488 for the longest.

54.1% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 77.6% and gives check in 78.6%; 34.6% end in checkmate, 73.2% involve a sacrifice, 54.4% have White to move.

77.6%first move captures
78.6%first move gives check
34.6%end in checkmate
73.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
27.4% · median rating 1388
3 solver moves
61.8% · median rating 1423
4 solver moves
9.8% · median rating 1446
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 1488

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
54.1%
Key move by a queen
32.6%
Key move by a bishop
6%
Key move by a pawn
4.2%
Key move by a knight
3%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
36.1%
Most valuable capture: rook
34%
Most valuable capture: pawn
14.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
5.4%
Captures nothing along the line
5%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.9%

Material balance along the whole line, counting every capture by both sides (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9):

No material gained (mating or positional)
39.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
7.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
28.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
21.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
2.4%
21–27 pieces
32.1%
13–20 pieces
59.5%
12 pieces or fewer
6%

How it is counted: every puzzle in the sample is replayed move by move with a chess rules engine. A sacrifice means a piece that is captured on the very next ply and was worth more than what it captured itself (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9). Sample of 2,000 puzzles. Percentages are shares of the sample.

Where it happens

Where the key move lands

Where the solver’s first move ends, drawn from their own side (rank 1 is their back rank). Busiest squares: h7 (17.5%), f8 (9.3%), g7 (5.7%), h8 (5.1%), f7 (4.7%).

1.41.33.12.93.69.33.95.18
1.71.51.33.33.14.75.717.57
21.12.52.81.62.86
3.11.21.311.25
1.24
3
2
1
abcdefgh

Counted from the same 2,000-puzzle sample. Squares under 1% are left blank.

Study positions

The most-solved attraction puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♜♛
♟
♟
♙♝♙
♙♕♙♘
♘♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1203 · solved 5,517 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rce1

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh6#

♜♜
♟♚♟
♟♟
♕
♙♙
♞♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1301 · solved 4,573 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Rxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh8+ → Qh4 → Rxh4#

♜♚♝
♘♟♟
♟
♙♙
♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1315 · solved 4,727 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxa7

Solution: Rxa7+ → Kxa7 → Nc6+ → Kb6 → Nxe7

♟♚
♟
♗♖
♙♜♙♙
♔♖♟
♜
Black to move · rating 1322 · solved 5,014 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe4

Solution: Ra1+ → Kxa1 → h1=Q+ → Ka2 → Qxe4

♟♟
♙♚♝♟♟
♟♗
♔♙♙
♖♙♙
♜
White to move · rating 1330 · solved 7,782 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg2

Solution: Rxc6+ → Kxc6 → Be4+ → Kb6 → Bxg2

♕
♜♚♟
♟♟
♟
♟♛♙♟
♙♙♙♖
♜♙♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1337 · solved 5,945 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh1+ → Kg7 → Qh8#

♜♚
♝♙♟
♛
♟♟
♙♙♙
♗
♖♔
White to move · rating 1394 · solved 4,838 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf8

Solution: Ba3+ → Re7 → Bxe7+ → Kxe7 → f8=Q+

♜♚
♟♕♟♟
♟♙♟
♟♛
♙♜♙
♙♖♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1401 · solved 4,873 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Qxf8+ → Kxf8 → Re8#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟♟
♝♟♙♟♕
♙♖
♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1438 · solved 6,382 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh4#

♟♟♟♚
♟
♙♕♙♛
♙♜
♙♜♙
♖♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1472 · solved 20,685 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg1

Solution: Rxh3+ → Kxh3 → Rh4#

♟♟♚
♟♞♟
♙
♜
♙♕♟♘♛
♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1534 · solved 4,949 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd3

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh4#

♖♖♟♚
♟♜
♟♛♟
♟
♙♙♟♙
♙♙♙♙
♕♔
Black to move · rating 1555 · solved 6,002 times · Mate in 7.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ree7

Solution: Rxh3+ → Kg1 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qh7+ → Kg1 → Qh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1+ → Ke2 → Qxg2+ → Ke1 → Qf2#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

Attraction puzzles by difficulty

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