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Discovered check Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1398 · solved 118,386,707 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are discovered check puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 27,595 puzzles, median rating 1398, solved 118,386,707 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 developing level: the numbers

There are 27,595 discovered check puzzles at developing level, solved 118,386,707 times in total. The median rating is 1398.

Often combined with

Discovered attack · 19,833Middlegame tactics · 14,964Endgame tactics · 11,112Checkmate · 9,902Double check · 7,867Mate in 2 · 4,961Kingside attack · 4,422Sacrifice · 3,588Advanced pawn · 3,587

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 868Italian Game · 433French Defence · 384Caro–Kann Defence · 279Scandinavian Defense · 268Queen's Pawn Game · 266Queen's Gambit Declined · 209Scotch Game · 209

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 developing level (7.2% of all 27,595).

5.9% need 1 solver move, 52.8% need 2 solver moves, 36.6% need 3 solver moves, 4.4% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1419 for the shortest solutions, 1475 for the longest.

32% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 28.8% and gives check in 94.2%; 37.4% end in checkmate, 15.3% involve a sacrifice, 50.1% have White to move.

28.8%first move captures
94.2%first move gives check
37.4%end in checkmate
15.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
5.9% · median rating 1419
2 solver moves
52.8% · median rating 1394
3 solver moves
36.6% · median rating 1390
4 solver moves
4.4% · median rating 1475

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
32%
Key move by a pawn
24.2%
Key move by a rook
18.7%
Key move by a bishop
16.9%
Key move by a queen
5.6%
Key move by the king
2.4%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28%
Captures nothing along the line
26.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
20.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
11.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.4%

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)
33.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
12%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
16%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
22.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
16.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
3.4%
21–27 pieces
38%
13–20 pieces
49.4%
12 pieces or fewer
9.1%

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: h6 (8.2%), f6 (6.8%), g7 (5.6%), g6 (5.3%), f7 (5.3%).

1.33.71.68
1.22.31.43.55.35.63.57
1.23.24.54.76.85.38.26
1.32.32.93.533.41.45
1.11.11.71.61.24
13
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 1249 · solved 3,705 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc5+

Solution: d4+ → Qb5 → Bxb5+

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♗
♟♟♝
♞
♙♘
♙♕
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1252 · solved 3,596 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bh6

Solution: Nxh6 → Kxh7 → Nxf7+ → Kg8 → Nxd8

♚♜♜
♟
♟
♟
♙
♙♟
♙♙♕♖♙♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1303 · solved 3,613 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh2

Solution: hxg2+ → Kg1 → Rh1#

♝♜♜
♛♟♟♚
♟♟
♘♙
♙♞
♕
♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1314 · solved 3,725 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: f6+ → g6 → Bxg6+ → fxg6 → Qxg6+

♖
♚♟♘
♟
♟♟
♜♞♙
♟
♔
White to move · rating 1324 · solved 3,706 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe4

Solution: Nc8+ → Kb8 → Nd6+ → Kc7 → Nxe4

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟
♝♝
♞♙
♙♙♟♗
♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
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 1372 · solved 4,464 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Ng4+ → Kg1 → Qh2#

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♗♟♝
♟♙♞
♙♙
♙♘♙♙
♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1403 · solved 4,049 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb6

Solution: Nxf3#

♚♞
♟♛♟
♟♟
♟♙♟♙
♙
♕♙
♜
♔♖♗
White to move · rating 1422 · solved 3,731 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b5

Solution: d6+ → Qf7 → Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → d7

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♟♟
♞♕
♙♗
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1501 · solved 4,493 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Rxg2+ → Kh1 → Rg5+ → f3 → Rxh5

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♗
♟♛
♙♕
♙
♙
♔
♝
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#

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

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