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Defensive move Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1077 · solved 21,077,064 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are defensive move puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 24,256 puzzles, median rating 1077, solved 21,077,064 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 foundation level: the numbers

There are 24,256 defensive move puzzles at foundation level, solved 21,077,064 times in total. The median rating is 1077.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 20,873Pawn endgame tactics · 4,151Rook endgame tactics · 3,109Middlegame tactics · 3,071Advanced pawn · 2,778Hanging piece · 1,678Zugzwang · 1,554Pin · 1,278Bishop endgame tactics · 1,208

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 186Queen's Pawn Game · 99French Defence · 90Caro–Kann Defence · 64Italian Game · 54Ruy Lopez · 42English Opening · 41Queen's Gambit Declined · 39

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 foundation level (8.2% of all 24,256).

65.8% need 2 solver moves, 29.4% need 3 solver moves, 3.9% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1064 for the shortest solutions, 1164 for the longest.

37% open with the king move. The first move captures in 36.5% and gives check in 14.8%; 0.2% end in checkmate, 12.6% involve a sacrifice, 51.4% have White to move.

36.5%first move captures
14.8%first move gives check
0.2%end in checkmate
12.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
65.8% · median rating 1064
3 solver moves
29.4% · median rating 1103
4 solver moves
3.9% · median rating 1111
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 1164

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by the king
37%
Key move by a pawn
21%
Key move by a rook
20.8%
Key move by a bishop
9.2%
Key move by a queen
6.4%
Key move by a knight
5.5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
25.5%
Most valuable capture: queen
22.1%
Captures nothing along the line
21.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
15.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
6.6%

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)
38.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
17.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
22.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
17%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
4.1%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0.8%
21–27 pieces
8.2%
13–20 pieces
29.2%
12 pieces or fewer
61.8%

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: f4 (3.8%), f3 (3.7%), e3 (3.3%), e4 (3.1%), g3 (3.1%).

8
1.41.72.51.91.71.217
1.21.52.12.12.32.52.56
11.42.12.42.42.32.51.25
1.51.92.22.13.13.82.51.84
1.31.92.23.33.73.11.93
1.12.5231.72.22
1.11
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.

♟
♔♚♙
♙♞
♗
♟
White to move · rating 922 · solved 1,805 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e2

Solution: Bxe2 → Nxe2 → a5

♝
♘♟
♟
♙♟♟♚♟
♙
♔
♙♙
White to move · rating 1064 · solved 8,490 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c5

Solution: Nb6+ → Kc6 → Nxa8 → Kb7 → Nb6

♟♟♟♚♟
♟
♙♙♔♙
♙♙
Black to move · rating 1127 · solved 2,093 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c3

Solution: d4+ → cxd4+ → cxd4+ → Kd3 → Kd5

♜♚
♝♙
♟♟
♟♟♗
♙♙♞
♕♙♟♛♙
♗♖♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1139 · solved 1,932 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc3+

Solution: Be5 → Qxe5+ → Qxe5

♖♞♜♚
♙♕
♟♟
♟♙♟
♙♙
♔♙♙
♛
White to move · rating 1147 · solved 2,339 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h5

Solution: Rxb8 → Qb2+ → Kg3

♜♚
♟♟
♗♟
♟♛
♙♙
♕♔
White to move · rating 1150 · solved 3,114 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe4+

Solution: Qxe4 → fxe4 → Bxd7 → a3 → Be6

♚
♘♝♙
♟♟♙
♟♙♟
♔♙
White to move · rating 1163 · solved 1,742 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a4

Solution: Ne7+ → Kd7 → Nxf5 → a3 → Kc1

♟
♟
♜♖♟
♟
♙♙♙
♚♔
White to move · rating 1166 · solved 1,881 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra5

Solution: Rxa5 → bxa5 → c4

♜♜♚
♛♟♟♟
♟♝
♟
♕♙♘♖
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1166 · solved 1,821 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxb4+

Solution: Be7 → Qa4 → exd4

♟♗
♟
♙♚♟♔
Black to move · rating 1173 · solved 1,837 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxd4

Solution: c3 → Kd3 → Kb3 → Bd5+ → Kb2

♗
♟♕
♟♟
♙♚♟♙
♙♝
♞♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1180 · solved 2,224 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg7+

Solution: Kf4 → Qh6+ → Ng5+ → Qxg5+ → Kxg5

♚
♔♟♟
♙♙
Black to move · rating 1183 · solved 7,835 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke5

Solution: Kg5 → f4+ → Kg4 → Kf6 → Kxg3

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

Developing levelAdvanced levelChallenging level