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Hanging piece Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1400 · solved 128,724,956 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are hanging piece puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 50,842 puzzles, median rating 1400, solved 128,724,956 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

hanging piece puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 50,842 hanging piece puzzles at developing level, solved 128,724,956 times in total. The median rating is 1400.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 28,900Endgame tactics · 18,169Checkmate · 6,616Defensive move · 4,366Mate in 1 · 3,980Opening tactics · 3,773Intermezzo (in-between move) · 3,426Kingside attack · 2,741

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 2,199French Defence · 982Queen's Pawn Game · 867Caro–Kann Defence · 799Italian Game · 702Queen's Gambit Declined · 559Scandinavian Defense · 526English Opening · 448

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical hanging piece solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 hanging piece puzzles at developing level (3.9% of all 50,842).

8.4% need 1 solver move, 66.4% need 2 solver moves, 22% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1347 for the shortest solutions, 1429 for the longest.

39% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 99.9% and gives check in 35.4%; 13.8% end in checkmate, 4.8% involve a sacrifice, 49.2% have White to move.

99.9%first move captures
35.4%first move gives check
13.8%end in checkmate
4.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
8.4% · median rating 1347
2 solver moves
66.4% · median rating 1398
3 solver moves
22% · median rating 1411
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 1429

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39%
Key move by a rook
16.1%
Key move by a knight
12.7%
Key move by the king
12%
Key move by a bishop
10.6%
Key move by a pawn
9.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
39.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
33.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
13.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.4%

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)
0.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
0.9%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
37.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
34.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
26.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
7.1%
21–27 pieces
40.7%
13–20 pieces
41.2%
12 pieces or fewer
11%

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: e8 (4.7%), a8 (4.3%), d8 (4.3%), e4 (3.6%), c8 (3.6%).

4.32.23.64.34.73.428
1.122.87
1.721.52.41.26
1.12.12.23.42.21.25
1.81.73.53.62.22.414
2.21.72.22.71.41.43
1.11.52.61.52.12
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚
♟♟
♟♕
♙♟♔
♙♛♙
♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1239 · solved 3,832 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh5

Solution: Qxh1+ → Kg6 → Qxh6+ → Kxh6 → d4

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♞♟
♝
♘
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1250 · solved 3,083 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc4

Solution: Bxc4 → Qb4+ → Nd2

♜♜
♟♟♚♞♟♟♟
♛♘
♟
♗♙
♙
♙♙♙♕♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1304 · solved 3,020 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd4

Solution: Qxd4+ → Kh1 → Kxd6

♚
♘♟
♝♙
♙♔
Black to move · rating 1315 · solved 3,894 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Kxd5 → Kg4 → Be7

♜♝♛♜
♟♕♟♚
♞♟
♟♙
♘♟♟♙♙♝
♙
♙♙♙♘
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1322 · solved 3,476 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd6

Solution: Rxh4#

♜
♚♙
♟♝♘♔
♟♟
♙♟
♙♙
♙♖
Black to move · rating 1332 · solved 3,020 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh6

Solution: Kxf6 → Rf2+ → Bf5 → Rxf5+ → Kxf5

♖♞♚
♛♜♟
♘♟
♟♘♝♙
♟♙♙
♙♙♕
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1364 · solved 5,073 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc8

Solution: Qxh1+ → Qd1 → Qxd1+ → Kxd1 → Bxc8

♖
♜♚
♟♟♟
♟
♔
White to move · rating 1394 · solved 3,562 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxa7

Solution: Rxa7+ → Kh6 → Ra6

♜♜
♟♖
♟♟♚
♟♙♟♕
♙
♙♙♛
♙
♔
White to move · rating 1409 · solved 3,417 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxh3+

Solution: Qxh3 → Rh8 → Rh7 → Rxh7 → Qxh7

♙♔♚
♗♟
♗♟
♝
♟♝
White to move · rating 1418 · solved 3,596 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g2

Solution: Bxh2 → Bxd5 → Kxd5 → g3 → Bg1

♜♕
♙♟♟♚
♟
♗
♟♙♔♙
♛
White to move · rating 1442 · solved 4,262 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Qxa8 → a1=Q → Qxa1 → Qxa1 → c8=Q

♚♜
♟♟
♟♟♕
♛♙
♟
♙♙♙♜
♔♖
White to move · rating 1573 · solved 3,139 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc5

Solution: Qxe8+ → Kc7 → Qd8#

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

Hanging piece puzzles by difficulty

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