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Exposed king Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1423 · solved 169,450,518 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are exposed king puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 42,804 puzzles, median rating 1423, solved 169,450,518 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

exposed king puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 42,804 exposed king puzzles at developing level, solved 169,450,518 times in total. The median rating is 1423.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 25,409Middlegame tactics · 16,589Fork · 13,260Checkmate · 8,115Attraction · 8,113Mate in 3 · 7,213Deflection · 5,663Sacrifice · 5,398Advanced pawn · 4,485Skewer · 3,808

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 457Queen's Pawn Game · 284French Defence · 224Caro–Kann Defence · 211Italian Game · 177Scandinavian Defense · 122King's Gambit · 111Queen's Gambit Declined · 91

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical exposed king solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 exposed king puzzles at developing level (4.7% of all 42,804).

86.6% need 3 solver moves, 11.7% need 4 solver moves, 1.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1411 for the shortest solutions, 1477 for the longest.

38.5% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 36.2% and gives check in 80.8%; 18.9% end in checkmate, 30.9% involve a sacrifice, 52.8% have White to move.

36.2%first move captures
80.8%first move gives check
18.9%end in checkmate
30.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

3 solver moves
86.6% · median rating 1411
4 solver moves
11.7% · median rating 1453
5+ solver moves
1.8% · median rating 1477

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
38.5%
Key move by a queen
31.8%
Key move by a pawn
8.8%
Key move by a bishop
8.4%
Key move by a knight
7.8%
Key move by the king
4.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
36.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
36.1%
Captures nothing along the line
11.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.7%
Most valuable capture: pawn
4.1%

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)
18.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
9.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
33.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
10.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.8%
21–27 pieces
19%
13–20 pieces
57.3%
12 pieces or fewer
22%

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: g6 (7.1%), f7 (4.9%), h6 (4.7%), f6 (4.3%), h5 (4.2%).

1.81.31.92.63.43.824.18
12.22.634.94.13.37
1.11.222.53.94.37.14.76
232.32.54.25
1.11.24
1.13
2
11
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♚♝
♘♟♟
♟
♙♙
♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1315 · solved 4,727 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxa7

Solution: Rxa7+ → Kxa7 → Nc6+ → Kb6 → Nxe7

♚
♟♝♛
♟♟♙♗♕
♟♙
♙♙
♙
♙♜
♔
White to move · rating 1329 · solved 4,652 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg2+

Solution: Kf1 → Qc7 → f7+ → Qxf7+ → Bxf7+

♟♟
♙♚♝♟♟
♟♗
♔♙♙
♖♙♙
♜
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 1334 · solved 4,429 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rfc1

Solution: Qxc1+ → Rxc1 → Rxc1+ → Kg2 → d2

♜♝♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♙
♙♗♞
♘♗♛
♙♙♙♕
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1342 · solved 4,328 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Bxf4 → Rxf4 → Qg3+ → Qg2 → Qxf4

♕♖♝
♚♟
♟
♗
♙
♟♜
♔
Black to move · rating 1344 · solved 4,648 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c8=Q

Solution: Bg7+ → Bc3 → Bxc3+ → Qxc3 → Rxc3

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟
♝♝
♞♙
♙♙♟♗
♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1360 · solved 7,443 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b3

Solution: e2+ → Kb1 → Na3+ → Kb2 → Nxc2

♜♚
♟♕♟♟
♟
♟♙
♙
♜
♙♙♔♙
♖♞♗
Black to move · rating 1403 · solved 5,026 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxf2

Solution: Rc2+ → Ke1 → Re2+ → Kf1 → Rd1#

♝♟♚
♛♞
♜
♟♘
♕♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1410 · solved 4,491 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd6

Solution: Qxg5+ → Nxg5 → Nf5+ → Kf6 → Nxd6

♚♜
♝
♖
♙♟♟♜
♙
♙♙♟
♙♔
♖
White to move · rating 1448 · solved 4,577 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh8

Solution: Ra8+ → Kc7 → Rc6+ → Kb7 → Rxh8

♖
♙♚
♝
♟♟
♔
Black to move · rating 1459 · solved 4,486 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re8

Solution: f2+ → Ke2 → Bc4+ → Kxe3 → f1=Q

♟
♙♟
♙
♚♔
Black to move · rating 1595 · solved 5,910 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b5

Solution: g4+ → Kh2 → Kf2 → a5 → g3+ → Kh3 → g2

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

Exposed king puzzles by difficulty

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