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Defensive move Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2324 · solved 151,614,330 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are defensive move puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 195,632 puzzles, median rating 2324, solved 151,614,330 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 defensive move puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

defensive move puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 195,632 defensive move puzzles at advanced level, solved 151,614,330 times in total. The median rating is 2324.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 143,155Middlegame tactics · 49,317Quiet move · 33,315Pawn endgame tactics · 29,992Rook endgame tactics · 21,923Advanced pawn · 20,370Zugzwang · 12,495Bishop endgame tactics · 10,001

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 2,307French Defence · 1,020Italian Game · 960Queen's Pawn Game · 809Caro–Kann Defence · 797Scandinavian Defense · 574Queen's Gambit Declined · 493Indian Defence · 438

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical defensive move solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 defensive move puzzles at advanced level (1% of all 195,632).

33.8% need 2 solver moves, 40.8% need 3 solver moves, 14.7% need 4 solver moves, 10.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2252 for the shortest solutions, 2466 for the longest.

27.4% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 34.3% and gives check in 18.2%; 0% end in checkmate, 6.9% involve a sacrifice, 49% have White to move.

34.3%first move captures
18.2%first move gives check
0%end in checkmate
6.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
33.8% · median rating 2252
3 solver moves
40.8% · median rating 2329
4 solver moves
14.7% · median rating 2362
5+ solver moves
10.8% · median rating 2466

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
27.4%
Key move by the king
26.8%
Key move by a rook
17.1%
Key move by a queen
13%
Key move by a bishop
8.1%
Key move by a knight
7.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
35%
Most valuable capture: pawn
19.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
19%
Most valuable capture: queen
11.3%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8%
Most valuable capture: knight
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)
56.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
16%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
13.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.2%
21–27 pieces
16.7%
13–20 pieces
38.3%
12 pieces or fewer
43.8%

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 (3.7%), g4 (3.4%), e5 (3.3%), f7 (3.1%), f5 (3%).

1.51.18
1.11.411.71.53.11.71.37
1.31.82.22.42.83.72.81.86
1.21.91.32.83.332.72.65
122.22.72.72.43.42.74
11.11.42.21.91.61.63
1.41.61.51.21.32
1.2111.31
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♟♕
♔
♙
♙
♜♚♟
Black to move · rating 2002 · solved 817 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qh7+

Solution: Kc1 → Qxf7 → Rb2+ → Ka7 → d1=Q

♚♜♜
♟♛♟♝
♟
♟♙
♕♙♙♟♟
♙
♘♗♙
♖♔♝
White to move · rating 2003 · solved 1,069 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: exd5

Solution: Qc6 → Qxb4+ → Kf1 → Qa5 → Rxa5

♜♚♜
♝♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♘♛♗
♕
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 2011 · solved 749 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Qxg5+ → Kb1 → O-O

♕♚♜
♝
♛♟
♟
♟♙
♗♖♙
♙♙♔
Black to move · rating 2023 · solved 743 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa8+

Solution: Bd8 → Qc6+ → Qxc6

♜♚
♟♟♜♟
♟♙♗
♙
♟♙♕
♙♝♛♗♝
♖
♖♔
White to move · rating 2057 · solved 706 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb3+

Solution: Ke2 → Qb2+ → Kf3 → Bd5+ → Be4

♚
♟♟
♟
♙♟
♔
♟♙
♙♙
White to move · rating 2065 · solved 722 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c3

Solution: Kxc3 → Kf7 → Kd4

♟
♟♟
♟♚♟♙
♙♙♙
♔
♙
Black to move · rating 2095 · solved 734 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f4+

Solution: Kf6 → gxf5 → Kxf5

♟
♟♟♚♙♟
♙
♔
♙♙
White to move · rating 2106 · solved 716 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h5

Solution: gxh5 → Kxf5 → h6 → Kg6 → Kf4

♔♙
♝
♟♚
♙
♘
Black to move · rating 2138 · solved 705 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf2

Solution: g3 → Nd3 → Bxd3 → c7 → Bf5

♕♚
♜♟
♟
♙
♟♔
Black to move · rating 2151 · solved 674 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc7+

Solution: Rd7 → Qe5+ → Kf7 → Qh8 → d1=Q

♟♟
♙
♟♙
♚♔
♙♟
♙
Black to move · rating 2156 · solved 742 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: gxh6 → gxh6 → a4

♜
♟♙♚
♔♟
♙♗♟♟
♙♙
White to move · rating 2217 · solved 687 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g4

Solution: c7 → Rg8 → Kc6

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

Defensive move puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelDeveloping levelChallenging level