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Capture the defender Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1768 · solved 40,643,879 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are capture the defender puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 12,100 puzzles, median rating 1768, solved 40,643,879 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.

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By the numbers

capture the defender puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 12,100 capture the defender puzzles at challenging level, solved 40,643,879 times in total. The median rating is 1768.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 8,786Endgame tactics · 2,421Fork · 1,709Pin · 1,302Attraction · 1,230Discovered attack · 1,015Deflection · 929Opening tactics · 893

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 700French Defence · 326Caro–Kann Defence · 255Italian Game · 197Queen's Pawn Game · 196Scandinavian Defense · 177Queen's Gambit Declined · 168English Opening · 147

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 challenging level (16.5% of all 12,100).

46.6% need 2 solver moves, 45.6% need 3 solver moves, 6.6% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1751 for the shortest solutions, 1859 for the longest.

35.7% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 81.4% and gives check in 9.2%; 0.4% end in checkmate, 37.2% involve a sacrifice, 52.4% have White to move.

81.4%first move captures
9.2%first move gives check
0.4%end in checkmate
37.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
46.6% · median rating 1751
3 solver moves
45.6% · median rating 1792
4 solver moves
6.6% · median rating 1822
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 1859

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
35.7%
Key move by a queen
22.1%
Key move by a knight
16.2%
Key move by a bishop
15.9%
Key move by a pawn
9.5%
Key move by the king
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
35.5%
Most valuable capture: knight
25.7%
Most valuable capture: rook
23.7%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11%
Most valuable capture: pawn
4.2%

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)
7%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
25.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
49.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
10.7%
21–27 pieces
54.4%
13–20 pieces
31.8%
12 pieces or fewer
3.1%

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: f6 (9.4%), d5 (6.8%), c6 (6.7%), d7 (6.2%), e5 (5.7%).

1.51.418
1.226.24.83.11.67
26.74.44.59.42.51.16
2.36.85.72.81.65
1.534.221.54
11.51.23
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.

♜♚
♛♟♟
♞♟♞♝♟
♟♘
♙♟♙♝♟♙
♙♙♗
♗♕♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1603 · solved 1,153 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd4

Solution: Nxh6+ → gxh6 → Bxd7 → Nbxd7 → Bxd4

♚♜♜
♟♛♟
♕♟♝
♘♙♟♘
♙♟♞
♙
♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1603 · solved 828 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc5

Solution: Qxc5 → Qxc5 → Nxd3+ → Ke2 → Nxc5

♜♝♚
♛♟
♝♟♟♘
♙♟♞
♟♙
♙♕
♙♘
♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1604 · solved 1,052 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg5

Solution: Qxg5 → Qxg5 → Nxf7+ → Kg8 → Nxg5

♜♜♚
♟
♟♟♟
♟♟
♙♙♖♕
♙♛♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1623 · solved 995 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc2

Solution: Re7 → Rf7 → Rxf7 → Kxf7 → Qxh7+

♛♜
♚♟♝♖
♟♟♗♞♟
♟♙♟
♕♘♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 1627 · solved 1,571 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe8

Solution: Qxe8 → Rxe8 → Nxe6 → fxe6 → Rxg7+

♔
♖♟♚
♟
♝♙
♟
♜♟
♖
White to move · rating 1670 · solved 979 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd5

Solution: Rxg7+ → Kh6 → Rxg2 → Bxg2 → Rxh2+ → Kg5 → Rxg2+

♜♚
♕♟♟
♙♛
♞
♟
♙
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1678 · solved 882 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd6

Solution: c7 → Qxc7 → Qxc7 → Nxc7 → Rxd8+

♜♚
♜♛♟
♟♘♝♟♟
♟♙
♟♖
♙♕♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1697 · solved 2,692 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f6

Solution: exf6 → Qxf6 → Qxf6 → gxf6 → Rxe6

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♞♟♜♟♟
♙♟♘♛
♙♙♞♙
♙♙♙
♘♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1713 · solved 1,279 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Qxg4 → Qxg4 → Nxh6+ → Kg7 → Nxg4

♜♘♟
♙♙♙
♚♔
Black to move · rating 1886 · solved 1,149 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f4

Solution: Rxe5 → fxe5 → hxg4 → e6 → g3+ → Kh3 → g2

♚
♟♟♟♟
♛
♙♘
♙♞♙♙
♙♙♜♙
♖♕♔
Black to move · rating 1933 · solved 970 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd1

Solution: Rxf2 → Nxf2 → Qxg3 → Qxf3 → Qxf3+

♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♟
♝
♘♙♜♘
♙♙♙♙
♗♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1944 · solved 834 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd1

Solution: Rxe1 → Nxe1 → Bxd1

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

Developing level