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Exposed king Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1096 · solved 24,977,837 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are exposed king puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 18,557 puzzles, median rating 1096, solved 24,977,837 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 exposed king puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

exposed king puzzles at foundation level: the numbers

There are 18,557 exposed king puzzles at foundation level, solved 24,977,837 times in total. The median rating is 1096.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 12,954Checkmate · 5,527Mate in 3 · 5,313Middlegame tactics · 5,304Fork · 4,860Advanced pawn · 2,464Skewer · 2,198Rook endgame tactics · 2,176Attraction · 1,920Deflection · 1,786

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 133French Defence · 95Queen's Pawn Game · 92Caro–Kann Defence · 69Italian Game · 46Bishop's Opening · 39Scandinavian Defense · 38Indian Defence · 35

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 foundation level (10.8% of all 18,557).

93.4% need 3 solver moves, 6.2% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1089 for the shortest solutions, 1121 for the longest.

47% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 30.9% and gives check in 89.4%; 29.2% end in checkmate, 23.4% involve a sacrifice, 50.6% have White to move.

30.9%first move captures
89.4%first move gives check
29.2%end in checkmate
23.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

3 solver moves
93.4% · median rating 1089
4 solver moves
6.2% · median rating 1121

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
47%
Key move by a queen
27.1%
Key move by a pawn
11.6%
Key move by a bishop
7%
Key move by a knight
5.7%
Key move by the king
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
40.9%
Most valuable capture: queen
27.4%
Captures nothing along the line
15%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
4.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.4%

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)
21.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
34.5%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.4%
21–27 pieces
14.6%
13–20 pieces
56%
12 pieces or fewer
27.9%

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: f8 (6.9%), h8 (5.8%), g6 (5.1%), h6 (4.5%), h5 (4.4%).

3.22.83.53.83.36.92.45.88
2.21.31.92.34.13.937
11.42.51.82.64.45.14.56
121.922.54.45
1.21.34
3
2
1
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 978 · solved 2,418 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ra7

Solution: Rg8+ → Ke7 → Rg7+ → Kd6 → Rxa7

♟
♖♜♚♝♝♟
♞♟
♟♗♙
♙♙
♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 986 · solved 2,265 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb6

Solution: Rxb6+ → Nxb6 → Rc6+ → Kd7 → Rxb6

♜
♖♔
♚
Black to move · rating 1121 · solved 16,684 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh3

Solution: Rh6+ → Kg4 → Rg6+ → Kf5 → Rxg3

♜♝♚
♜♟
♟♟♟
♟♛
♕♙
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1121 · solved 3,706 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf5

Solution: Qg8+ → Qf8 → Rd8+ → Kxd8 → Qxf8+

♜♚
♝♟♟♜
♟♗
♕♟
♙♛♟
♙
♙♙♘♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1149 · solved 2,721 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd6

Solution: Rxf2+ → Kh1 → Qh3+ → Bh2 → Qxh2#

♜♜
♟♟♚
♛
♙♟♕
♙♟♟
♙♞
♘♙♙
♖♝♔
White to move · rating 1158 · solved 2,263 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg6

Solution: Rxc7+ → Re7 → Rxe7+ → Kxe7 → Qxg6

♛
♚♟
♙♝
♙♖♙
♗♔
White to move · rating 1161 · solved 2,272 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd6

Solution: Bxf4+ → Ke6 → Rc6+ → Kf7 → Rc7+

♚
♟♟♟
♙♗
♖
♜
♙
♙♔
Black to move · rating 1180 · solved 2,250 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf5

Solution: Rxf5 → d7 → Rd5+ → Kc3 → Rxd7

♗
♟♕
♟♟
♙♚♟♙
♙♝
♞♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1180 · solved 2,224 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg7+

Solution: Kf4 → Qh6+ → Ng5+ → Qxg5+ → Kxg5

♛
♞
♟♟♝♚
♟♟♜
♟♕♟
♙♙♖♙
♙♔
♗♖
White to move · rating 1189 · solved 2,803 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf7

Solution: Bxf4+ → exf4 → Qxf4+ → Kh7 → Qxf6

♙♕♟♚♟
♟
♛
♟♙
♔♙♙
Black to move · rating 1191 · solved 2,588 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b7

Solution: Qe2+ → Kc3 → Qc2+ → Kd4 → Qxc7

♜
♟♟♚
♟
♟♙♝
♙♟
♙
♙♙♘♔♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1192 · solved 2,341 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne2

Solution: Rf8+ → Ke1 → Bd2+ → Kxd2 → Rxf1

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

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level