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Capture the defender Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1103 · solved 9,038,598 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are capture the defender puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 4,477 puzzles, median rating 1103, solved 9,038,598 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 foundation level: the numbers

There are 4,477 capture the defender puzzles at foundation level, solved 9,038,598 times in total. The median rating is 1103.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 2,795Endgame tactics · 1,107Discovered attack · 712Opening tactics · 575Intermezzo (in-between move) · 379Fork · 293Pin · 269Attraction · 249Kingside attack · 171

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 295Scandinavian Defense · 147French Defence · 143Caro–Kann Defence · 117Queen's Gambit Declined · 103Queen's Pawn Game · 99Italian Game · 96Ruy Lopez · 92

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 foundation level (44.7% of all 4,477).

83.4% need 2 solver moves, 16.1% need 3 solver moves, 0.5% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1088 for the shortest solutions, 1167 for the longest.

26.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 94.3% and gives check in 6.8%; 0.1% end in checkmate, 10.1% involve a sacrifice, 48.3% have White to move.

94.3%first move captures
6.8%first move gives check
0.1%end in checkmate
10.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
83.4% · median rating 1088
3 solver moves
16.1% · median rating 1156
4 solver moves
0.5% · median rating 1167

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
26.6%
Key move by a bishop
26.6%
Key move by a knight
24.3%
Key move by a rook
20.2%
Key move by a pawn
2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
35.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
29.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
27.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8.2%

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)
1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
7.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
70.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
18.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
16.6%
21–27 pieces
51.6%
13–20 pieces
29.5%
12 pieces or fewer
2.2%

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 (15.1%), d5 (9%), c6 (8.3%), e5 (6.8%), e6 (6.4%).

11.78
1.45.451.77
1.78.33.76.415.13.46
296.82.21.85
11.82.7414
113
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 1025 · solved 1,279 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd2

Solution: Bxc3 → Bxc3 → Qxd5

♜♜
♟♛♚
♞♟♞
♟♙♟♕♘♟
♙♙
♙♗♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1078 · solved 1,221 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd5

Solution: Qxf5 → Bxf5 → Rxg5

♜♚
♟♜♟
♟
♙♛
♕♗♖♙
♙♙♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1094 · solved 1,132 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf2

Solution: Rxe3 → Qxe3 → Rxe3 → Kxe3 → Qxg3+

♟♟
♖♙♟
♚♜♙
♔
White to move · rating 1102 · solved 1,239 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke3

Solution: Rb3+ → Ke4 → Rxf3 → Kxf3 → gxf5 → Kf4 → f6

♜♚
♛♝♝♟♟
♟♟
♞♟♙
♟♟♙♙♙
♙♖♗
♙♘♙
♖♕♔
Black to move · rating 1102 · solved 1,206 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf3

Solution: Nxc3 → Rxc3 → Qxd4+ → Kh1 → Qxc3

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟♙
♛
♝♙♘
♙♟
♘♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1130 · solved 1,134 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be3

Solution: Bxe3 → fxe3 → Qxg5

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♞
♟♝
♘♟
♙♙♙
♙♗♙♘♙♗♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1133 · solved 1,081 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be5

Solution: Nxc6 → bxc6 → Bxe5

♜♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♝
♛
♙♙♖♙
♙♕♙
♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1168 · solved 1,362 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe2

Solution: Qxe2 → Nxe2 → Rxd3

♜♛♜♚
♖♝♝♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♘♙
♙♟♗♙♘
♙♙
♕♗
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1171 · solved 1,293 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc7

Solution: Bxb5 → axb5 → Qxc7

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟♞
♗♛
♝
♘♙♘♙
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1183 · solved 1,728 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg5

Solution: Bxf3 → Bxf3 → Qxg5

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟♞
♛
♘
♗♙
♙♙♙♕♗♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1191 · solved 2,453 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd2

Solution: Qxd2 → Bxd2 → Nxd4

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♞♝♟
♟
♛♙
♕♙♙
♙♜♗♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1196 · solved 1,710 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd2

Solution: Qxb4 → Nxb4 → Rxd2

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

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