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Double check Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2210 · solved 17,964,562 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are double check puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 7,570 puzzles, median rating 2210, solved 17,964,562 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

double check puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 7,570 double check puzzles at advanced level, solved 17,964,562 times in total. The median rating is 2210.

Often combined with

Discovered check · 7,030Middlegame tactics · 5,834Checkmate · 3,014Sacrifice · 2,858Attraction · 2,552Kingside attack · 1,803Endgame tactics · 1,386Mate in 3 · 1,259Fork · 1,023

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 272Italian Game · 168French Defence · 118Caro–Kann Defence · 81Queen's Pawn Game · 77Scandinavian Defense · 76Queen's Gambit Declined · 74Scotch Game · 58

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical double check solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 double check puzzles at advanced level (26.4% of all 7,570).

22.3% need 2 solver moves, 41.8% need 3 solver moves, 21.8% need 4 solver moves, 13.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2116 for the shortest solutions, 2387 for the longest.

31.8% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 45% and gives check in 79.8%; 39.3% end in checkmate, 37.6% involve a sacrifice, 55.2% have White to move.

45%first move captures
79.8%first move gives check
39.3%end in checkmate
37.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
22.3% · median rating 2116
3 solver moves
41.8% · median rating 2200
4 solver moves
21.8% · median rating 2270
5+ solver moves
13.9% · median rating 2387

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
31.8%
Key move by a rook
24.4%
Key move by a queen
16.6%
Key move by a pawn
15.1%
Key move by a bishop
11%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
26.8%
Captures nothing along the line
22.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
20.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
12.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.6%
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)
48.3%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
12.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
15.1%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
5.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
3.8%
21–27 pieces
50%
13–20 pieces
44.8%
12 pieces or fewer
1.4%

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 (14.2%), f7 (8.2%), g6 (8.1%), f6 (5.7%), h7 (4.3%).

1.94.12.11.21.48
1.91.53.68.214.24.37
1.32.12.73.85.78.13.86
12.12.633.92.55
14
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♛♘
♞
♘♖♙♟
♙
♙♙♙♙
♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2005 · solved 541 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Nxb7+ → Ke8 → Qd8#

♜♜♚
♝♘♘♟♟♟
♟
♟♟♙
♞♞♙
♙♗♗
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2013 · solved 577 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc7

Solution: Nf2+ → Kg1 → Nh3#

♜♚
♟♛♝
♟♟♜♟
♟
♙♖
♙♙
♙♙♗♕♖♙
♔
Black to move · rating 2013 · solved 417 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf4

Solution: Rg1+ → Kxg1 → Bxd4+ → Kf1 → Rg1#

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟
♟♞♟♟
♟♗♟♕
♙♘
♙♙♙
♙♙
♖♗♝♔
White to move · rating 2019 · solved 476 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf1

Solution: Nxh6 → g6 → Nf7+ → Kg7 → Qh6+

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♞
♕♘
♙♙♝
♙♙♖♙
♖♗♔
Black to move · rating 2036 · solved 444 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxd1

Solution: Nc3+ → Ke1 → Rd1#

♗♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♞♝
♘
♕♞♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2047 · solved 541 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: Nf3+ → Kf1 → Bh3#

♜♜♚
♝♟♟♟
♟♟♛♟
♟♞♘♞
♙
♙♙♙
♗♗♙♙♙
♕♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2052 · solved 481 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qxg2+ → Kxg2 → Nf4+ → Kg1 → Nxe2#

♚
♟♟♟
♛♟♝♟
♙♞
♙♕
♙♗
♙♙♔♙
♖♘♖
Black to move · rating 2062 · solved 571 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg2

Solution: Ne3+ → Kg3 → Qg2+ → Kf4 → Nd5#

♜♞♜♚
♝♟♟
♟♟♘
♟
♘
♗♛♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♝♔
White to move · rating 2090 · solved 418 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg3

Solution: Nxf7+ → Kg8 → Bh7+ → Kxf7 → Qxe6#

♟♚♞
♝♘
♟♙
♔
♗
♙♜
♖
White to move · rating 2166 · solved 499 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng7

Solution: Ng5+ → Kf8 → Nh7#

♚
♝♜♟
♜♟
♟
♟♙♘
♔♙
♙♖♙
White to move · rating 2174 · solved 428 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxe8

Solution: Nf6+ → Kf8 → Re8#

♚
♝♞
♟♟♟♟
♟
♙♙♞
♙♛♗
♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2325 · solved 637 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd1

Solution: Qh1+ → Kxh1 → Nxf2+ → Kg1 → Nh3#

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

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