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Interference Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1420 · solved 26,944,377 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are interference puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 6,176 puzzles, median rating 1420, solved 26,944,377 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

interference puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 6,176 interference puzzles at developing level, solved 26,944,377 times in total. The median rating is 1420.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 3,493Endgame tactics · 2,268Fork · 676Deflection · 620Checkmate · 435Opening tactics · 415Exposed king · 370Rook endgame tactics · 358Intermezzo (in-between move) · 354

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 252French Defence · 110Queen's Pawn Game · 107Caro–Kann Defence · 103Scandinavian Defense · 73Queen's Gambit Declined · 70Italian Game · 50Scotch Game · 49

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical interference solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 interference puzzles at developing level (32.4% of all 6,176).

63.6% need 2 solver moves, 31.2% need 3 solver moves, 4.4% need 4 solver moves, 0.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1421 for the shortest solutions, 1467 for the longest.

28.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 16.1% and gives check in 64.2%; 7.3% end in checkmate, 4.5% involve a sacrifice, 55.2% have White to move.

16.1%first move captures
64.2%first move gives check
7.3%end in checkmate
4.5%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
63.6% · median rating 1421
3 solver moves
31.2% · median rating 1423
4 solver moves
4.4% · median rating 1431
5+ solver moves
0.9% · median rating 1467

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
28.6%
Key move by a rook
28.4%
Key move by a bishop
22%
Key move by a pawn
13%
Key move by a knight
7.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
40.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
21.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
15.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
13.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
9.4%

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)
1.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
19.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
35.3%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
36.5%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
5.2%
21–27 pieces
45.4%
13–20 pieces
39.6%
12 pieces or fewer
9.7%

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: h7 (4.5%), f5 (4.5%), c7 (4.5%), d5 (4.3%), f6 (4.3%).

2.4111.73.38
1.94.533.42.51.94.57
1.31.33.13.12.34.32.92.46
3.22.74.33.54.54.21.75
1.31.21.71.62.31.54
1.22.23
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♗
♙♛
♙♙♜♙
♕♔♙
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1241 · solved 2,049 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rce1

Solution: Qxf3+ → Kg1 → Rxe1#

♜♚
♟♛♟
♞♝♟♜♕♟
♟♟♘
♙♙
♙
♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1266 · solved 2,223 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf6

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Ke7 → Qxg7+ → Kd8 → Qxf6+

♕
♜♟
♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♙♙
♜♝♙
♙♙♔
White to move · rating 1289 · solved 2,358 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf7

Solution: Qh8+ → Kg6 → Qh5+ → Kf6 → Kxf3

♜♜
♟♝♟♘♟♝♚
♟♟
♗
♙♙♙♙
♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1317 · solved 4,539 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c3

Solution: f6 → Bf4 → Rxe7

♜♚
♟
♟♖♟♛
♟♟♜
♙
♙♕♘
♙♙♙♙♝
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1343 · solved 2,625 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rae1

Solution: Rxf3 → gxf3 → Qh3+ → Ke2 → Qxe6+

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♖♟
♛♟
♙♙♙♟
♙♙♕♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1398 · solved 2,328 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc6

Solution: Rxf7+ → Kxf7 → Qe7+ → Kg8 → Qxd8+

♜
♛♚♟♕
♟♟
♙
♟♖
♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1419 · solved 2,556 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a3

Solution: Qf6+ → Ke8 → Rh8+ → Kd7 → Qxf7+

♖♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♛♟
♟♞♙
♙♟♗
♗♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1461 · solved 2,136 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe8

Solution: Qh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1+ → Ke2 → Rxe8+

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♙
♕♔♗
♛♙♗♙♙♙
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1467 · solved 2,660 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd3

Solution: Qc4+ → Kd2 → Qc2+ → Ke1 → Qxb1+

♜♚
♜♟
♟♟♟
♘♝
♙♙
♟♙
♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1521 · solved 2,143 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g4

Solution: d2 → Rcd1 → Re1 → Rxd2 → Rxf1+

♜♚
♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♞♟♙
♙♟♗♙
♙♞♙♘
♙♔♕
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1549 · solved 2,920 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf2

Solution: N5e4+ → Kf1 → Nxd1

♟
♟♚♙
♜
♔
♙♖
Black to move · rating 1557 · solved 2,118 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h5

Solution: Rb3+ → Kg2 → Rxb2+

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

Interference puzzles by difficulty

Challenging level