ChessPuzzlePrint Free chess puzzles, tools and printables

Real positions. Quiet practice.

Capture the defender Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2225 · solved 11,768,286 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are capture the defender puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 8,009 puzzles, median rating 2225, solved 11,768,286 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 capture the defender puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

capture the defender puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 8,009 capture the defender puzzles at advanced level, solved 11,768,286 times in total. The median rating is 2225.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 6,125Endgame tactics · 1,466Pin · 1,314Fork · 1,005Kingside attack · 833Sacrifice · 803Discovered attack · 748Attraction · 741

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 354French Defence · 147Italian Game · 128Caro–Kann Defence · 126Scandinavian Defense · 115Queen's Pawn Game · 102Queen's Gambit Declined · 81Ruy Lopez · 78

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical capture the defender solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 capture the defender puzzles at advanced level (25% of all 8,009).

21.7% need 2 solver moves, 47.8% need 3 solver moves, 19.8% need 4 solver moves, 10.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2154 for the shortest solutions, 2457 for the longest.

31.8% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 66.8% and gives check in 12.8%; 0.4% end in checkmate, 40.4% involve a sacrifice, 54.2% have White to move.

66.8%first move captures
12.8%first move gives check
0.4%end in checkmate
40.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
21.7% · median rating 2154
3 solver moves
47.8% · median rating 2214
4 solver moves
19.8% · median rating 2275
5+ solver moves
10.6% · median rating 2457

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
31.8%
Key move by a knight
22.1%
Key move by a queen
18.4%
Key move by a bishop
15.8%
Key move by a pawn
9.6%
Key move by the king
2.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
33.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
25.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
22.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10%
Most valuable capture: pawn
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)
15%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
29.1%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
37.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
15.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
8.8%
21–27 pieces
57.2%
13–20 pieces
31.1%
12 pieces or fewer
3%

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: f7 (6.9%), f6 (6.4%), d5 (5.8%), e6 (4.7%), e5 (4.5%).

1.41.68
21.83.33.56.92.21.67
1.642.94.76.431.76
1.55.84.54.13.125
1.82.531.81.614
1113
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚
♝♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♙♙♕
♛
♜♘
♙♙♙♙
♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 2006 · solved 374 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e5

Solution: Rxf3 → gxf3 → Qxe1+ → Kg2 → Nxd5

♟
♜♟
♟♟
♚
♙♙
♖♔♙♙
White to move · rating 2022 · solved 470 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb6

Solution: g4 → hxg4 → hxg4 → f5 → f3#

♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♟♜
♟♜
♗♖
♙♙♙♛
♙♙♕
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2051 · solved 799 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg4

Solution: Rxf3 → Rxf3 → Qxg4+ → Qg2 → Qxf3 → Qxf3 → Rxf3

♖♙
♟♟
♙♙♘
♙♚
♜♜♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2064 · solved 591 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng4

Solution: Rxg4 → a4 → Rxh2#

♜♛♝♜
♟♚
♟♞♗
♘♟♝
♙♞♟
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2064 · solved 411 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf5

Solution: Nxd4 → Qxd4 → Bxf5 → Qe5 → Bh3 → Rxh3 → gxh3

♟
♟♟
♚♘
♙♟♙♙
♙♔♝
Black to move · rating 2086 · solved 367 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf4

Solution: h4 → Nxe2 → dxe2 → Kxe2 → hxg3

♜♜♚
♟♝♝♟
♟♟♞♟
♛
♗
♗♙
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2156 · solved 613 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe6

Solution: Rxd7 → Rxd7 → Bxe6+

♜♚
♟♜♟♟
♟♟
♟♙♙
♙♖
♙♛
♕♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2178 · solved 408 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh4

Solution: Rxf2 → Rxf2 → Qxg3+ → Rg2 → Qxh4

♜♜♚
♝♛♟♟
♟♟♝♞
♟
♙♙
♘♙♗♗♙
♙♙♙♕♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 2206 · solved 461 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rae1

Solution: Qxe3 → Qxe3 → Rxe3 → Rxe3 → Bxf4+ → Kg2 → Bxe3

♜♚
♟♟
♟♟
♙♝
♙♜♟♙
♛♖♙♙
♕♙♞
♔
White to move · rating 2221 · solved 457 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg2

Solution: Rxc3 → dxc3 → Qxc4+ → Kh8 → Qxc3

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝
♘♟♛
♗
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2236 · solved 457 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd6

Solution: Rxd6 → O-O → Nxc7

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♛♝♟
♘
♙
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2437 · solved 392 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be6

Solution: Nf4 → Qc6 → Qxc6 → bxc6 → Nxe6

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

Capture the defender puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level