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Double check Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1401 · solved 32,479,256 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are double check puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 8,698 puzzles, median rating 1401, solved 32,479,256 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 developing level: the numbers

There are 8,698 double check puzzles at developing level, solved 32,479,256 times in total. The median rating is 1401.

Often combined with

Discovered check · 7,867Checkmate · 6,619Middlegame tactics · 5,952Mate in 2 · 2,975Mate in 3 · 2,297Sacrifice · 2,245Kingside attack · 2,095Endgame tactics · 2,056Smothered mate · 1,696Advanced pawn · 1,406

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 347Italian Game · 154French Defence · 144Caro–Kann Defence · 125Scandinavian Defense · 95Queen's Pawn Game · 89Queen's Gambit Declined · 83Scotch Game · 82

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 developing level (23% of all 8,698).

12.9% need 1 solver move, 46% need 2 solver moves, 37.5% need 3 solver moves, 3.4% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1417 for the shortest solutions, 1495 for the longest.

55.4% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 28.9% and gives check in 97.2%; 75.6% end in checkmate, 30.5% involve a sacrifice, 53.7% have White to move.

28.9%first move captures
97.2%first move gives check
75.6%end in checkmate
30.5%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
12.9% · median rating 1417
2 solver moves
46% · median rating 1401
3 solver moves
37.5% · median rating 1380
4 solver moves
3.4% · median rating 1495

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
55.4%
Key move by a pawn
16.6%
Key move by a rook
12%
Key move by a bishop
9.8%
Key move by a queen
6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
52.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
14.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
14.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
11%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.2%

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)
62.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
13.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
8.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
9.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
4.8%
21–27 pieces
47.3%
13–20 pieces
46.4%
12 pieces or fewer
1.6%

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 (21.9%), f6 (11.7%), f7 (5.8%), g7 (5.7%), g6 (5.6%).

1.11.42.74.82.18
1.51.63.55.85.74.57
1.31.22.83.111.75.621.96
1.51.21.92.23.31.25
4
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.

♜♜
♚
♟♟♟
♗♟♙
♙♟
♙♖♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1228 · solved 3,208 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be4+

Solution: Rxe4 → dxe4 → f3+ → Kf1 → fxe2+

♟♟♚♜♟
♘♙♞
♖♙
♙
♖♔
♜♝
White to move · rating 1247 · solved 3,279 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: d6+ → Kd8 → dxe7+

♛♜♚
♖♟
♟♟♟♗
♟♝
♙
♕♙
♙♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1309 · solved 3,210 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be5

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kh8 → Qg7#

♜♚
♟♟♟
♞♟♛♟♟
♟♙
♜♘
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1331 · solved 2,015 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf6

Solution: fxg6 → Qxh4 → gxf7+

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♞♟♟♝
♟♙♞
♘♟
♙
♘
♟♗♙♙♕♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1371 · solved 2,117 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: bxa2

Solution: exf7#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♞♜
♙♘
♙♕♟♙
♙♗♔
♖♖
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#

♚
♖♟
♟♛♞♟
♕
♙♞
♙
♙♙♗♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1412 · solved 2,096 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxb7

Solution: Nf2+ → Kg1 → Nh3+ → Kf1 → Qf2#

♜
♞
♝♚♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♙♙
♙♗
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1426 · solved 2,590 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxe6

Solution: exd5+ → Kd6 → dxc6

♜♚
♟♟♝♟
♜♙
♟♘♖
♙♟♙
♙♙♛
♔♖
White to move · rating 1579 · solved 2,965 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxh2

Solution: gxf7+ → Kh8 → Rg8+ → Rxg8 → Rxg8#

♜♚
♟♝♟
♛♟
♘♟
♟♜♙
♗♕
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1591 · solved 2,595 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f5

Solution: Nf6+ → Kh8 → Qxh7#

♕♜♚
♟♟
♟
♟♟
♘♝♛
♙♙♙♖♙
♔
White to move · rating 1598 · solved 2,570 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf8

Solution: Qxf8+ → Kxf8 → Ng6+ → Kg7 → Nxh4

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

Double check puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging level