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Epaulette mate Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1376 · solved 16,843,929 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are epaulette mate puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 5,298 puzzles, median rating 1376, solved 16,843,929 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 epaulette mate puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

epaulette mate puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 5,298 epaulette mate puzzles at developing level, solved 16,843,929 times in total. The median rating is 1376.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 5,298Endgame tactics · 2,932Mate in 2 · 2,325Mate in 1 · 2,260Middlegame tactics · 2,002Mate in 3 · 607Rook endgame tactics · 455Discovered check · 452Double check · 426Opening tactics · 364

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 95French Defence · 59Caro–Kann Defence · 54Queen's Pawn Game · 47Queen's Gambit Declined · 31Scandinavian Defense · 30Italian Game · 29Zukertort Opening · 26

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical epaulette mate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 epaulette mate puzzles at developing level (37.8% of all 5,298).

42.2% need 1 solver move, 43.4% need 2 solver moves, 12.4% need 3 solver moves, 1.8% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1376 for the shortest solutions, 1387 for the longest.

43.6% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 22% and gives check in 99.8%; 100% end in checkmate, 9% involve a sacrifice, 57.6% have White to move.

22%first move captures
99.8%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
42.2% · median rating 1376
2 solver moves
43.4% · median rating 1368
3 solver moves
12.4% · median rating 1388
4 solver moves
1.8% · median rating 1387

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
43.6%
Key move by a queen
38.6%
Key move by a knight
8.9%
Key move by a pawn
5%
Key move by a bishop
3.8%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
59.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
21.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6%
Most valuable capture: rook
5.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
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)
66.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
8.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
4.1%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.9%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
3.5%
21–27 pieces
23.8%
13–20 pieces
61.4%
12 pieces or fewer
11.2%

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 (7.7%), f6 (7.2%), g7 (6%), e6 (4.5%), h8 (4.4%).

1.81.12.82.43.23.74.48
23.32.337.763.37
2.234.57.24.126
1.61.31.91.82.52.81.95
1.51.91.74
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜
♝
♟♗♖
♟
♙♕♙♟
♙♙
♙♔♙
♛
Black to move · rating 1215 · solved 3,396 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg2

Solution: h3+ → Kg3 → Qg1#

♖
♖♜♜
♟♚♟
♟♙♗
♙♝♙
♔
♟
White to move · rating 1230 · solved 2,225 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd6

Solution: Re6+ → Kc5 → Rc6#

♚♟
♖♟♟
♙♟♙♙
♟♔♙
♙♜
Black to move · rating 1239 · solved 2,246 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf4

Solution: g5+ → Kf5 → Rf3#

♜
♚
♖♔♟
♗
♙♙♙
♜
Black to move · rating 1279 · solved 2,229 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxb5

Solution: Rb2+ → Ka4 → Rc4#

♜♟
♚♗♟♟
♝♗♙
♝♙♙
♔♖♙
Black to move · rating 1300 · solved 2,541 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd5

Solution: Ra6+ → Kb3 → Ra3#

♜♜
♟♖
♞♟
♚
♟♟
♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1402 · solved 2,561 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng6

Solution: Rf7+ → Kg5 → Rg1+ → Kh5 → Rf5#

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♗♟♝
♟♙♞
♙♙
♙♘♙♙
♙
♖♕♔♗♖
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 1417 · solved 2,558 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a5

Solution: Nf4+ → gxf4 → Qg4#

♖♘♜
♖♟♚
♟♟
♟♔
♛♙
♜♙
♞
White to move · rating 1437 · solved 2,745 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Rxf7+ → Qg7 → Rxg7#

♚
♟
♟♖
♟♘
♙♜
♙♗♛
♔
White to move · rating 1489 · solved 6,092 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg3

Solution: Re8+ → Rd8 → Bb7+ → Kb8 → Rxd8+ → Ka7 → Ra8+ → Kb6 → Rxa6#

♜♚♜
♟♟♞♖
♙
♟♟♟♙
♙♘♛
♕♙
♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1529 · solved 2,345 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd8

Solution: Rxe7#

♟♟♚
♜♟
♔♞
♙
♕♙
Black to move · rating 1560 · solved 3,561 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa2

Solution: f6+ → Kf4 → Rd4#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).