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Checkmate Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 891 · solved 794,311,009 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are checkmate puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 1,326,177 puzzles, median rating 891, solved 794,311,009 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

checkmate puzzles at foundation level: the numbers

There are 1,326,177 checkmate puzzles at foundation level, solved 794,311,009 times in total. The median rating is 891.

Often combined with

Mate in 1 · 733,202Endgame tactics · 648,806Middlegame tactics · 598,082Mate in 2 · 512,951Kingside attack · 225,988Back-rank mate · 180,027Opening tactics · 79,289Sacrifice · 77,710Mate in 3 · 77,374Rook endgame tactics · 64,521

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 46,910Queen's Pawn Game · 22,283Caro–Kann Defence · 20,534French Defence · 20,058Italian Game · 19,968Scandinavian Defense · 16,971Queen's Gambit Declined · 12,563Scotch Game · 10,263

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical checkmate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 checkmate puzzles at foundation level (0.2% of all 1,326,177).

55.4% need 1 solver move, 39% need 2 solver moves, 5.6% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 829 for the shortest solutions, 1015 for the longest.

53.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 38.4% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 9.8% involve a sacrifice, 54% have White to move.

38.4%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
9.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
55.4% · median rating 829
2 solver moves
39% · median rating 918
3 solver moves
5.6% · median rating 1015

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
53.2%
Key move by a rook
33%
Key move by a knight
7%
Key move by a bishop
4%
Key move by a pawn
2.8%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
38.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
25.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
22.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
6.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
4.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.1%

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)
46%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
22.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
7.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
18.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
5.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
6.4%
21–27 pieces
33.3%
13–20 pieces
50.4%
12 pieces or fewer
9.9%

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: h7 (12%), e8 (11.2%), f7 (10.1%), d8 (8.9%), g7 (8.1%).

3.73.14.78.911.26.51.33.28
1.411.910.18.1127
1.11.42.52.92.26
1.22.35
1.14
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♛
♙♞
♘♙
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 755 · solved 15,492 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe1

Solution: Qxh2#

♚♜
♛
♟
♕♗
♙♙
♙♔
White to move · rating 827 · solved 15,487 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc8

Solution: Qa8#

♜♜♚
♟♛♟
♝♞♘♖♟
♙♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 882 · solved 15,899 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd6

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qf1+ → Rxf1 → Rxf1#

♜♝♛♜♞♚
♟♟♟♞
♟♟♙♕
♝♟
♗♙
♘♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 891 · solved 15,756 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng8

Solution: Qg7#

♜♜
♟♟♛♟♚♞
♟
♟♙♟♟
♙
♙♖
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 966 · solved 15,731 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxf5

Solution: Qh6+ → Kh8 → Qxh7#

♚
♟♟♜♟
♟♙
♟
♛♕
♙♙♘♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 995 · solved 15,422 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf4

Solution: Qxg2#

♜♞♛♜
♟♝♝♞♟♟♚
♟♘
♙♟♙
♕
♙♘
♗♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1026 · solved 16,148 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Qxg7#

♖♟♚
♝
♟♙♟
♙♙
♙♝
♙♗
♛♘♔♕
Black to move · rating 1071 · solved 15,777 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg1

Solution: Qd2#

♚
♜
♟♟♟
♟♘
♙♙♔
♙
♕♖
♜♛
White to move · rating 1131 · solved 15,716 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Rd8+ → Kh7 → Qg8#

♚
♟♟
♕♟♜♟
♛
♙♝
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1143 · solved 15,847 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Qb7#

♜♚
♜♟♟
♟♟
♟♟
♙
♙♙♙♛
♙♕♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1165 · solved 16,829 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxb8

Solution: Qh6+ → Kg8 → Rxb8#

♜♞♝♛♜
♚♗♟
♟♝♞♟
♟♟
♟
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1178 · solved 17,356 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd6

Solution: Qe3+ → Bc5 → Qxc5+ → Kb7 → Qb6#

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

Checkmate puzzles by difficulty

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