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Endgame tactics Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1391 · solved 2,062,120,998 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are endgame tactics puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 692,474 puzzles, median rating 1391, solved 2,062,120,998 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

endgame tactics puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 692,474 endgame tactics puzzles at developing level, solved 2,062,120,998 times in total. The median rating is 1391.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 183,732Fork · 91,760Mate in 2 · 90,824Advanced pawn · 75,648Rook endgame tactics · 72,025Mate in 1 · 58,538Deflection · 50,335Sacrifice · 44,912

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 402Scotch Game · 193Scandinavian Defense · 178Italian Game · 173Ruy Lopez · 170French Defence · 167Queen's Pawn Game · 158Four Knights Game · 126

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical endgame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 endgame tactics puzzles at developing level (0.3% of all 692,474).

10.2% need 1 solver move, 54.2% need 2 solver moves, 29% need 3 solver moves, 4.8% need 4 solver moves, 1.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1362 for the shortest solutions, 1425 for the longest.

33.8% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 31.4% and gives check in 66.6%; 29.2% end in checkmate, 18.9% involve a sacrifice, 49.1% have White to move.

31.4%first move captures
66.6%first move gives check
29.2%end in checkmate
18.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
10.2% · median rating 1362
2 solver moves
54.2% · median rating 1378
3 solver moves
29% · median rating 1392
4 solver moves
4.8% · median rating 1461
5+ solver moves
1.8% · median rating 1425

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
33.8%
Key move by a queen
28.1%
Key move by a pawn
15%
Key move by a bishop
7.9%
Key move by a knight
7.8%
Key move by the king
7.3%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
30.6%
Captures nothing along the line
24.7%
Most valuable capture: queen
21.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
13.9%
Most valuable capture: bishop
5.5%
Most valuable capture: knight
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)
37.3%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
15.5%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
17%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
23.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
2%
13–20 pieces
64.2%
12 pieces or fewer
33.9%

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: f7 (5.3%), e8 (3.8%), f6 (3.8%), d8 (3.6%), f8 (3.5%).

2.11.62.63.63.83.51.51.88
11.51.82.85.32.92.27
1.11.51.72.33.43.832.96
1.31.52.42.92.52.32.45
1.522.12.61.91.14
1111.113
1.12
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♝♟
♙♚♗
♙♟♙
♔♟
White to move · rating 1214 · solved 7,793 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf7

Solution: b6 → Bxc4 → b7

♖
♟♟♚
♟
♕
♙♟
♙♙
♞♛♙♔
Black to move · rating 1219 · solved 13,728 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd8

Solution: Qg1#

♟♕♟
♚
♟♙♝♗
♙
♔♙
♙♙♛
Black to move · rating 1246 · solved 6,677 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kb3

Solution: Qxb2+ → Ka4 → Qb4#

♕♝♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♟♘
♙♙♘
♙♙
♙♙♔♙
♛
Black to move · rating 1328 · solved 7,293 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nhg5

Solution: Nxg5 → Nxg5 → Qxg5

♟♟
♙♚♝♟♟
♟♗
♔♙♙
♖♙♙
♜
White to move · rating 1330 · solved 7,782 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg2

Solution: Rxc6+ → Kxc6 → Be4+ → Kb6 → Bxg2

♕
♟♟
♚♜
♖♔♙
♙
♛
Black to move · rating 1364 · solved 7,094 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e8=Q

Solution: Qf1+ → Kg3 → Qf4#

♖
♟♚
♖
♝
♞♙
♜♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1391 · solved 7,442 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rah7

Solution: Rxf2#

♟♚
♟♕♟
♟♟
♙♞♛
♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1393 · solved 6,893 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Qc1+ → Ne1 → Qxe1#

♜♚
♟♟
♟♟♞
♟♙♙
♟♙♘♔
♜
♖
♖
White to move · rating 1465 · solved 8,458 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc3

Solution: Nxg6 → fxg6 → Rh8+ → Kf7 → Rf1+

♟♟♟♚
♟
♙♕♙♛
♙♜
♙♜♙
♖♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1472 · solved 20,685 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg1

Solution: Rxh3+ → Kxh3 → Rh4#

♛
♚
♟♟♙♝
♟♝♟♟
♙
♙♕♙
♙♗♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1507 · solved 7,112 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe6

Solution: Qa8+ → Qf3 → Qxf3#

♕
♘♟
♟♚♟
♟♟
♛
♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 1527 · solved 8,280 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg6

Solution: Nf8+ → Kf7 → Qxd4

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

Endgame tactics puzzles by difficulty

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