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Defensive move Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1429 · solved 138,644,409 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are defensive move puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 52,937 puzzles, median rating 1429, solved 138,644,409 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

defensive move puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 52,937 defensive move puzzles at developing level, solved 138,644,409 times in total. The median rating is 1429.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 40,795Middlegame tactics · 10,591Pawn endgame tactics · 7,370Rook endgame tactics · 6,631Advanced pawn · 5,109Hanging piece · 4,366Quiet move · 2,815Fork · 2,646

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 840French Defence · 366Queen's Pawn Game · 343Caro–Kann Defence · 265Italian Game · 261Scandinavian Defense · 190Queen's Gambit Declined · 185Ruy Lopez · 170

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 developing level (3.8% of all 52,937).

52.9% need 2 solver moves, 38.2% need 3 solver moves, 7% need 4 solver moves, 1.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1417 for the shortest solutions, 1487 for the longest.

30.7% open with the king move. The first move captures in 44.2% and gives check in 18.7%; 0.2% end in checkmate, 8.8% involve a sacrifice, 49.8% have White to move.

44.2%first move captures
18.7%first move gives check
0.2%end in checkmate
8.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
52.9% · median rating 1417
3 solver moves
38.2% · median rating 1438
4 solver moves
7% · median rating 1445
5+ solver moves
1.8% · median rating 1487

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by the king
30.7%
Key move by a pawn
21.2%
Key move by a rook
20.6%
Key move by a queen
10.4%
Key move by a bishop
9.6%
Key move by a knight
7.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
27.1%
Captures nothing along the line
21.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
18.3%
Most valuable capture: pawn
14%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
8.8%

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)
40.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
19%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
20.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
4.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
2.8%
21–27 pieces
15%
13–20 pieces
33.6%
12 pieces or fewer
48.6%

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: e3 (3.4%), d4 (3.4%), g5 (3.3%), f4 (3.3%), e5 (3.3%).

1.118
1.31.71.22.41.91.217
1.21.71.51.73.12.11.66
11.81.62.83.32.63.31.45
2.12.23.42.93.32.91.14
1.61.41.93.42.731.43
1.71.92.72.32.22
1.21
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 1239 · solved 3,832 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh5

Solution: Qxh1+ → Kg6 → Qxh6+ → Kxh6 → d4

♚
♘♟
♝♙
♙♔
Black to move · rating 1315 · solved 3,894 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Kxd5 → Kg4 → Be7

♚
♟♟♟
♙
♟
♗♙
♙♙♜♜♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1317 · solved 3,772 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rff2

Solution: Rd8+ → Rf8 → e7 → Rc1+ → Kh2

♕♚
♖
♟♛♝
♙♜
♙
♗♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1321 · solved 3,563 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa8+

Solution: Re8 → Qxe8+ → Bxe8

♚
♟
♙
♔♖
♜
Black to move · rating 1386 · solved 4,569 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg4

Solution: Rb4+ → Kf3 → Rxg4 → Kxg4 → a5

♝
♚
♟♟
♗♔♙
♙
White to move · rating 1397 · solved 3,553 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd7

Solution: Bxd7 → Kxd7 → Kxd5 → a4 → Kc4

♙♔♚
♗♟
♗♟
♝
♟♝
White to move · rating 1418 · solved 3,596 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g2

Solution: Bxh2 → Bxd5 → Kxd5 → g3 → Bg1

♚
♗♟
♟
♟♘♙♙
♟♙♔
♜
White to move · rating 1441 · solved 3,856 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb2

Solution: Be5+ → Kf7 → Bxb2 → axb2 → Nd2

♟♜
♙♟
♚♗
♙♟♟♔
♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1465 · solved 6,428 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb1

Solution: c2 → Rc1 → Kc3

♚♜
♟♙
♟♖
♔
♙
♟
White to move · rating 1474 · solved 3,704 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re8

Solution: g8=Q → Rxg8 → Rxg8+ → Kb7 → Rg1

♚
♜
♟
♗♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1544 · solved 4,239 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd7

Solution: Bc6 → Ke7 → Bxd7 → Kxd7 → Kf3

♜♚
♟
♖♟♟
♙
♕
♙♙♛
♔
White to move · rating 1574 · solved 3,626 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc8

Solution: Qe6+ → Kh7 → Qxc8 → Qf4+ → Rd2

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 levelAdvanced levelChallenging level