ChessPuzzlePrint Free chess puzzles, tools and printables

Real positions. Quiet practice.

Discovered check Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2247 · solved 50,767,398 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are discovered check puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 30,865 puzzles, median rating 2247, solved 50,767,398 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 check puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

discovered check puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 30,865 discovered check puzzles at advanced level, solved 50,767,398 times in total. The median rating is 2247.

Often combined with

Discovered attack · 24,165Middlegame tactics · 20,557Endgame tactics · 9,134Sacrifice · 8,268Double check · 7,030Kingside attack · 5,119Checkmate · 4,765Exposed king · 4,353Advanced pawn · 4,025

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 881Italian Game · 557French Defence · 419Queen's Pawn Game · 292Scandinavian Defense · 281Caro–Kann Defence · 264Queen's Gambit Declined · 229Scotch Game · 203

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical discovered check solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 discovered check puzzles at advanced level (6.5% of all 30,865).

19.4% need 2 solver moves, 43.2% need 3 solver moves, 23.2% need 4 solver moves, 13.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2162 for the shortest solutions, 2427 for the longest.

22.4% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 39.8% and gives check in 72%; 16% end in checkmate, 28.2% involve a sacrifice, 55.4% have White to move.

39.8%first move captures
72%first move gives check
16%end in checkmate
28.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
19.4% · median rating 2162
3 solver moves
43.2% · median rating 2220
4 solver moves
23.2% · median rating 2318
5+ solver moves
13.9% · median rating 2427

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
22.4%
Key move by a rook
21.7%
Key move by a pawn
19.6%
Key move by a queen
16.8%
Key move by a bishop
16.7%
Key move by the king
2.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
19.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
17.6%
Captures nothing along the line
16.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
7.8%

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)
35%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
17.5%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
4.4%
21–27 pieces
41.2%
13–20 pieces
47.6%
12 pieces or fewer
6.8%

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: g7 (7.2%), f7 (7%), g6 (5.4%), f6 (5.4%), d6 (4%).

1.51.51.51.18
11.42.13.577.23.57
1.11.22.943.85.45.42.66
1.11.83.43.23.63.825
11.11.61.92.14
1.53
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♟♟♖♟♟
♟♚
♞♙
♝♛
♗
♙♙♘♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2004 · solved 261 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Nf4+ → Kxf7 → Ng2+ → Nf3+ → Rxf3+

♜
♚♟
♝♟
♖♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙♖
♔
Black to move · rating 2016 · solved 124 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxa5

Solution: e3+ → Kg1 → Rd1+ → Kh2 → Rd2

♜♚
♟♟♟
♙♜
♕
♙♙♝♙
♛♙♗
♖♔
White to move · rating 2028 · solved 106 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be3

Solution: fxe3+ → Kg8 → Bd5+ → Kh8 → Qf4

♚♜♞♜
♟♟♟♛♟
♘♝♟
♙♙♙♟
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2040 · solved 206 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc6

Solution: Bxh2+ → Kxh2 → hxg2+

♜♝
♟♟♟
♞♜♚
♛♟♟♘
♖
♙♙♙♙
♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2096 · solved 100 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa5

Solution: Ne4+ → Kf7 → Qh5+

♜♛♜
♕♝♚♟♟
♟♝
♞♘
♞
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 2156 · solved 190 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: Nxe7 → Ra8 → Nc6+ → Rxa7 → Nxd8+

♜♚
♟
♙
♟♛
♟♖♙
♙
♙♕♔
Black to move · rating 2165 · solved 142 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h4

Solution: Rg4 → d7 → Rxf4 → d8=Q+ → Rf8+

♕♟♚
♗♟♛
♙♝
♙♙♔
♙
Black to move · rating 2197 · solved 93 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc6

Solution: Be1+ → Kg2 → Qd2+

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♛♙
♖
♝♕♙
♔
♙♙♜♙
♗♖
Black to move · rating 2518 · solved 419 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxb3

Solution: Bc5+ → Ka4 → Rd4+ → Qxd4 → Bxd4

♚♜
♟♞
♗♟♟
♘♟
♙♛
♙
♙♙♕♙
♝♔
White to move · rating 2527 · solved 89 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg8

Solution: Nc6+ → Kc7 → Ne5+ → Nc5 → Qh7+

♜♜♚
♝♘♟♗
♟♛♞
♟♟♞♕
♟♙
♙♙
♙♗♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2684 · solved 203 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf7+

Solution: Nxf7 → Rxf6 → Qxf6 → Rf1 → Qxf1+ → Kxf1 → Nh6+ → Kg1 → Kxh7

♚
♛♜
♟♟♜♙♕
♟♞♙
♟♙
♙♙
♙♔
♖♖
White to move · rating 2737 · solved 296 times · 6 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf6

Solution: Rxe7 → Qxe7 → Re1 → Qd7 → Re8+ → Qxe8 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → g7+ → Ke7 → g8=Q+

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 check puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level