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Double check Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1058 · solved 9,140,297 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are double check puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 6,261 puzzles, median rating 1058, solved 9,140,297 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 double check puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

double check puzzles at foundation level: the numbers

There are 6,261 double check puzzles at foundation level, solved 9,140,297 times in total. The median rating is 1058.

Often combined with

Discovered check · 5,665Checkmate · 4,952Middlegame tactics · 3,619Mate in 2 · 2,342Mate in 1 · 2,237Endgame tactics · 1,805Kingside attack · 908Advanced pawn · 837Opening tactics · 837Fork · 696

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 296French Defence · 115Scandinavian Defense · 113Italian Game · 113Caro–Kann Defence · 104Queen's Pawn Game · 99Queen's Gambit Declined · 96Indian Defence · 66

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 foundation level (31.9% of all 6,261).

36.6% need 1 solver move, 53.6% need 2 solver moves, 9.4% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 894 for the shortest solutions, 1149 for the longest.

49.8% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 29.8% and gives check in 98.8%; 80.4% end in checkmate, 7.7% involve a sacrifice, 58.8% have White to move.

29.8%first move captures
98.8%first move gives check
80.4%end in checkmate
7.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
36.6% · median rating 894
2 solver moves
53.6% · median rating 1081
3 solver moves
9.4% · median rating 1149

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
49.8%
Key move by a bishop
16.4%
Key move by a pawn
15.4%
Key move by a rook
14.6%
Key move by a queen
3.8%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
49.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
19.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
13.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
8.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
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)
56%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
13.5%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
14.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
10.8%
21–27 pieces
42.4%
13–20 pieces
43.2%
12 pieces or fewer
3.6%

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: f6 (12.7%), g6 (7.9%), h6 (6.7%), d6 (6.3%), b5 (5.8%).

13.23.45.73.38
5.343.64.42.17
2.36.34.312.77.96.76
5.811.72.341.15
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.

♜♜
♖♘♚
♛♝♟♟♝
♟♗
♙
♙♙♙
♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1054 · solved 1,985 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh6

Solution: Ng5+ → Kh8 → Rh7#

♚
♟♟♟
♟
♟♘♟
♙♙♛♙
♗♙♙
♜♞♔
♕♖
Black to move · rating 1055 · solved 2,684 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: Ng4+ → Kh1 → Rh2#

♚
♙♟♟
♟
♝♗♙♙
♜♞♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1082 · solved 1,695 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b7

Solution: Ng4+ → Kh1 → Rh2#

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♛♞♟♟
♟♟♟
♞
♙♘♘
♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1108 · solved 1,281 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxf6

Solution: Nxf6+ → Kd8 → Nxe6#

♜
♟♟♚
♞♜♘♟
♛♗♟
♟♙♟♕♙
♙♙
♖♝♔
White to move · rating 1109 · solved 4,149 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf6

Solution: Nf8+ → Kh8 → Qh7#

♜♜♚
♟♟
♟♟♟♟♘
♞♕
♙♙♖
♙♙♙
♛♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1125 · solved 1,841 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Nxf7+ → Kg7 → Qh6+ → Kg8 → Qh8#

♜♜
♛♟♞
♚♗♕
♟♟
♙♟
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1137 · solved 1,269 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc6

Solution: Be4#

♜
♟♝♕♘♚
♟♝♛♟♟
♟
♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1143 · solved 1,509 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf8

Solution: Ng5+ → Kh8 → Qh7#

♜♜♚
♝♟♞♟♗
♟♟♟
♙♘
♙♙♙♛
♗♟♟
♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1150 · solved 1,673 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng5

Solution: gxf2+ → Kxf2 → Qg2+

♜♚
♖♖
♙
♙
♟
♙♙♜
♔
Black to move · rating 1159 · solved 1,715 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxh7

Solution: cxb2+ → Kb1 → Rc1#

♜
♟♖♟
♟♞
♚♘
♘♙
♙♛
♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1160 · solved 1,853 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qh3

Solution: Rb7+ → Ka6 → Nc5#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟♙
♟♟
♙
♙♛
♙
♙♙♕♙
♝♜♖♔
White to move · rating 1191 · solved 1,295 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Qxf7+ → Kh7 → 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

Double check puzzles by difficulty

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