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Mate in 1 Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 848 · solved 305,452,302 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are mate in 1 puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 733,202 puzzles, median rating 848, solved 305,452,302 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

mate in 1 puzzles at foundation level: the numbers

There are 733,202 mate in 1 puzzles at foundation level, solved 305,452,302 times in total. The median rating is 848.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 733,202Middlegame tactics · 382,840Endgame tactics · 280,502Kingside attack · 137,398Opening tactics · 69,860Hanging piece · 43,876Back-rank mate · 36,438Rook endgame tactics · 27,263Attacks on f2 / f7 · 23,424Opera mate · 23,128

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 39,026Queen's Pawn Game · 18,598Caro–Kann Defence · 17,344French Defence · 15,960Italian Game · 15,721Scandinavian Defense · 13,700Queen's Gambit Declined · 10,545English Opening · 8,309

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 1 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 1 puzzles at foundation level (0.3% of all 733,202).

100% need 1 solver move. Median rating: 846 for the shortest solutions, 846 for the longest.

62% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 46.5% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 0% involve a sacrifice, 53.8% have White to move.

46.5%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
0%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
100% · median rating 846

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
62%
Key move by a rook
24.6%
Key move by a knight
8%
Key move by a bishop
3.6%
Key move by a pawn
1.8%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
53.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
28.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
11%
Most valuable capture: bishop
2.9%
Most valuable capture: queen
2.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
1.5%

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)
53.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
28.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
4.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
10%
21–27 pieces
40.9%
13–20 pieces
40.6%
12 pieces or fewer
8.6%

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 (16.9%), g7 (14.5%), f7 (10.6%), e8 (8.8%), f8 (6.6%).

1.62.76.18.86.61.93.98
1.31.5210.614.516.97
1.51.61.72.32.26
2.15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 1 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 854 · solved 13,089 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh6

Solution: Rh5#

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

Opponent's last move: Ng8

Solution: Qg7#

♜♞♛♚♜
♟♟♞♟
♟♟
♟♝♙♟
♙♙
♗♟♙♝
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♘♔
Black to move · rating 906 · solved 15,318 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Bg2#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝
♟♙
♙♕♞
♘♛
♙♗♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 929 · solved 13,103 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe4

Solution: Qg2#

♜♚
♟♟
♟♝♝
♘♟
♗♛
♙♕♙
♙♜♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 934 · solved 10,895 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g3

Solution: Qxh2#

♜
♟♟♚♟
♟♞♕
♛♟
♙
♙
♖♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 983 · solved 12,691 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Qg7#

♚
♟♟♜♟
♟♙
♟
♛♕
♙♙♘♙
♖♔
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 1143 · solved 15,847 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Qb7#

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

Mate in 1 puzzles by difficulty

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