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Discovered attack Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1391 · solved 354,419,332 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are discovered attack puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 91,148 puzzles, median rating 1391, solved 354,419,332 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 discovered attack puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

discovered attack puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 91,148 discovered attack puzzles at developing level, solved 354,419,332 times in total. The median rating is 1391.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 55,212Endgame tactics · 29,163Discovered check · 19,833Kingside attack · 13,472Checkmate · 8,865Opening tactics · 6,773Mate in 2 · 6,125Fork · 5,452Pin · 5,126

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 4,618French Defence · 2,053Italian Game · 1,523Queen's Pawn Game · 1,501Caro–Kann Defence · 1,451Queen's Gambit Declined · 1,104Scandinavian Defense · 1,097English Opening · 899

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical discovered attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 discovered attack puzzles at developing level (2.2% of all 91,148).

0.5% need 1 solver move, 67.5% need 2 solver moves, 28.6% need 3 solver moves, 3.1% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1388 for the shortest solutions, 1440 for the longest.

34.1% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 45.4% and gives check in 78.7%; 9.6% end in checkmate, 43% involve a sacrifice, 50.3% have White to move.

45.4%first move captures
78.7%first move gives check
9.6%end in checkmate
43%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
0.5% · median rating 1388
2 solver moves
67.5% · median rating 1373
3 solver moves
28.6% · median rating 1403
4 solver moves
3.1% · median rating 1440

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
34.1%
Key move by a bishop
27.2%
Key move by a rook
14.9%
Key move by a pawn
13.2%
Key move by a queen
9.2%
Key move by the king
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
51%
Most valuable capture: rook
25.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
7.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
5.4%
Captures nothing along the line
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)
8.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
10.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
25.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
42.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
13.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
8.1%
21–27 pieces
46%
13–20 pieces
39.8%
12 pieces or fewer
6.2%

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 (11.2%), h7 (7.8%), f7 (5.5%), d5 (4.7%), g6 (4.2%).

1.11.41.118
11.41.43.75.53.47.87
1.12.93.34.111.24.23.76
1.81.74.73.43.22.85
2.82.42.52.11.44
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♝♟♙♝♟
♟♟
♟♟
♛♞♕
♙♘♙♙
♗♙♙♔♙
♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1201 · solved 6,291 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg2

Solution: Ne3+ → Bxe3 → Qxh4

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♛♞♟♞
♘♟
♙♝
♕♘♙♙
♙♙♙♗♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1253 · solved 6,509 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a6

Solution: Nd6+ → Bxd6 → Qxb6

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♖♗♝
♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1338 · solved 5,190 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg4

Solution: Bg5+ → Kd7 → Rxg4

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟
♝♝
♞♙
♙♙♟♗
♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1360 · solved 7,443 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b3

Solution: e2+ → Kb1 → Na3+ → Kb2 → Nxc2

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♛♙
♙♗♞♙♗♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1365 · solved 6,391 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Nc3+ → Kg1 → Nxd1

♕♞♚♞♜
♟♟♜♟♟♟
♛
♝
♘♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1378 · solved 7,714 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd1

Solution: Rxd1+ → Kxd1 → Bxc8

♜♚
♟♜♟
♝♛♟♗
♟♕♟
♙♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1401 · solved 5,736 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd5

Solution: Bh2+ → Kxh2 → Rxd5

♝♜♚
♟
♕♙♛
♟♙♙♟
♙
♗♔
White to move · rating 1454 · solved 5,896 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qh6

Solution: gxf7+ → Rxf7 → Qxh6

♕
♘♟
♟♚♟
♟♟
♛
♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 1527 · solved 8,280 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg6

Solution: Nf8+ → Kf7 → Qxd4

♜
♟♝♞♚♟
♟♟
♟♙
♞♙
♛♗♕
♙♖♘♙
♔
White to move · rating 1531 · solved 17,875 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg7

Solution: Bh6+ → Nxh6 → Qxd3

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♗
♟♛
♙♕
♙
♙
♔
♝
White to move · rating 1531 · solved 5,933 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf6

Solution: Bg6+ → Kg8 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Ke7 → Qe8#

♜♜♚
♟♟
♟
♝♟♙
♙♙♛
♕♙
♙♙♗
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1580 · solved 5,171 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf3

Solution: Bd4+ → Kh1 → Rxe1 → Rxe1 → Qxe1+

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

Discovered attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging level