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Epaulette mate Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 934 · solved 10,004,354 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are epaulette mate puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 13,923 puzzles, median rating 934, solved 10,004,354 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 foundation level: the numbers

There are 13,923 epaulette mate puzzles at foundation level, solved 10,004,354 times in total. The median rating is 934.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 13,923Mate in 1 · 9,557Endgame tactics · 8,462Middlegame tactics · 4,581Mate in 2 · 3,663Rook endgame tactics · 1,577Opening tactics · 880Opera mate · 847Mate in 3 · 640Hook mate · 556

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 294French Defence · 244Queen's Pawn Game · 204Queen's Gambit Declined · 179Caro–Kann Defence · 151Scandinavian Defense · 88Indian Defence · 85Queen's Gambit Accepted · 78

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 foundation level (14.4% of all 13,923).

67% need 1 solver move, 27% need 2 solver moves, 5.3% need 3 solver moves, 0.6% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 882 for the shortest solutions, 1103 for the longest.

54% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 26.8% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 3.2% involve a sacrifice, 57.8% have White to move.

26.8%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
3.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
67% · median rating 882
2 solver moves
27% · median rating 1036
3 solver moves
5.3% · median rating 1074
4 solver moves
0.6% · median rating 1103

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
54%
Key move by a queen
38%
Key move by a bishop
3.4%
Key move by a knight
3.4%
Key move by a pawn
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
61.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
22.3%
Most valuable capture: bishop
5.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
5.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
2.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
2.6%

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)
64%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
22%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
6.9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
5.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
4.5%
21–27 pieces
25.5%
13–20 pieces
53.9%
12 pieces or fewer
16.1%

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 (13.2%), f7 (13.1%), f6 (5.5%), e6 (4.6%), d6 (4%).

1.11.52.62.23.72.98
1.92.83.23.913.113.22.87
2.144.65.52.71.56
1.71.51.52.52.65
1.34
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.

♜
♟♜♟♞
♟♚
♟♝♟
♙♘♙♟♙
♙♙
♙♔♖♗
♖
White to move · rating 754 · solved 2,055 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf5

Solution: Rd6+ → exd6 → Rxd6#

♚
♟
♜♗♟♕♟♛
♟♙
♙♟
♔
♙
♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 902 · solved 1,888 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg3

Solution: Qh3+ → Kf4 → Qf3#

♕
♝
♞
♟
♟♚♙
♔
♛
White to move · rating 920 · solved 2,045 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b1=Q

Solution: Qe5#

♕
♟♚♟♟♟
♟♝
♙♙♝♙
♙♛♘
♖♔♘♖
Black to move · rating 976 · solved 3,549 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Qxe1+ → Kg2 → Qf2#

♚♜
♟♟♟
♟
♝♟♙♟
♙♗♞♘
♙♙♔♙
♖♖
Black to move · rating 983 · solved 2,857 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke2

Solution: Rxg2#

♕♞♖
♚
♟
♟
♟♜♙♔♟
♜♙
♙♙
♖
Black to move · rating 983 · solved 2,068 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d8=Q

Solution: Re3#

♜♚
♖♟♟
♟♟
♘♙♟
♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♔
♜
Black to move · rating 998 · solved 1,990 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe5

Solution: R8d2+ → Kf3 → Rf1#

♟
♕♜♚♟♟
♟♙
♙♙
♙♔
♜
White to move · rating 1007 · solved 2,054 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: R7d6

Solution: Qe8#

♚
♟♟
♟
♟♞♔♙
♘♙
♛♘
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1094 · solved 4,110 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne3

Solution: Qg6#

♜♚♝♗
♟
♟♟♟
♟♙♟
♟♛♝
♘♙
♙♙♙♕
♘♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1164 · solved 2,533 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh8

Solution: Qxc2+ → Qxc2 → Rxc2#

♚
♟♟
♟♟
♟
♙♙
♙♙♙♔♝
♖♕♖♛
Black to move · rating 1172 · solved 2,092 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke2

Solution: Qg2#

♜
♜
♖
♟♚♙
♟♔
♙
♖
White to move · rating 1183 · solved 2,278 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxb7

Solution: Rf6#

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

Epaulette mate puzzles by difficulty

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