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Back-rank mate Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 715 · solved 89,684,604 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are back-rank mate puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 180,028 puzzles, median rating 715, solved 89,684,604 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 back-rank mate puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

back-rank mate puzzles at foundation level: the numbers

There are 180,028 back-rank mate puzzles at foundation level, solved 89,684,604 times in total. The median rating is 715.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 180,027Endgame tactics · 130,488Mate in 2 · 107,641Middlegame tactics · 48,709Sacrifice · 39,449Mate in 1 · 36,438Mate in 3 · 35,476Rook endgame tactics · 14,920Hanging piece · 12,191Queen and rook tactics · 8,710

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 2,453Italian Game · 1,491Ruy Lopez · 1,231French Defence · 1,032Scotch Game · 976Scandinavian Defense · 796Caro–Kann Defence · 569Queen's Pawn Game · 548

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical back-rank mate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 back-rank mate puzzles at foundation level (1.1% of all 180,028).

19.8% need 1 solver move, 58.8% need 2 solver moves, 20.9% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 597 for the shortest solutions, 992 for the longest.

56.6% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 37.4% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 37.6% involve a sacrifice, 44.5% have White to move.

37.4%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
37.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
19.8% · median rating 597
2 solver moves
58.8% · median rating 662
3 solver moves
20.9% · median rating 992

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
56.6%
Key move by a queen
39.8%
Key move by a knight
2.2%
Key move by a bishop
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
70.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
13.6%
Captures nothing along the line
9.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
2.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
0.7%

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)
40.9%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
4.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
37%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
12%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0.4%
21–27 pieces
15.6%
13–20 pieces
78.5%
12 pieces or fewer
5.6%

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: d8 (22.2%), e8 (20.5%), c8 (13.6%), f7 (12.5%), f8 (8.7%).

7.17.613.622.220.58.78
1.72.512.57
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♞♕♟
♞♟♖♗
♟♘
♟♙♛
♙
♗♙♙♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 796 · solved 2,692 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng5

Solution: Qd1+ → Rxd1 → Rxd1#

♚♜♝♞♜
♟♟♛♟♟
♝♟
♙♟♟
♞♙
♘♙♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♘♖
White to move · rating 804 · solved 2,937 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb4

Solution: Ra8#

♜♞♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟
♛♙
♙♙
♙
♙♘♕
♔♖
White to move · rating 856 · solved 3,723 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Kh8 → Qf8+ → Bxf8 → Rxf8#

♜
♟♛♟♚
♟♟
♖♟
♟♕
♙♙
♙♖♙♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 870 · solved 3,390 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd5

Solution: Rc1+ → Rd1 → Rxd1#

♜♜♚
♟♛♟
♝♞♘♖♟
♙♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 882 · solved 15,899 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd6

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qf1+ → Rxf1 → Rxf1#

♚♘
♝♕
♟♟
♟♟♙
♟
♛♙♗
♙♜♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 925 · solved 3,572 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be3

Solution: Qxc1+ → Bxc1 → Rf1#

♜♚
♛♟
♟♕♟
♘
♙♝
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 933 · solved 3,126 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd1

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qf1+ → Rxf1 → Rxf1#

♚
♟♟♟
♟
♙♟♙♕♙
♛
♙
♟♜♙♙
♜♖♔
White to move · rating 973 · solved 2,523 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb1

Solution: Qd8#

♚
♟♟♟
♛♘
♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♜♜♗♔
White to move · rating 987 · solved 2,928 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rcc1

Solution: Qxf7+ → Kh8 → Qe8#

♜♚
♟♟
♟♟
♕♟♝
♙♗
♘♙
♙♛♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1120 · solved 2,579 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb3

Solution: Qxa1+ → Nxa1 → Re1#

♜♚
♕♟♟♟
♟♟
♛♙
♙
♙♜♟
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1141 · solved 6,898 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc3

Solution: Qxc8+ → Rxc8 → Rxc8+ → Qd8 → Rxd8#

♜♚
♟♟
♙♟
♙
♖♟♜♘♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1161 · solved 2,872 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra2

Solution: Rd1+ → Rxd1 → cxd1=Q#

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

Back-rank mate puzzles by difficulty

Challenging level