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Mate in 3 Puzzles: Foundation Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1014 · solved 86,158,680 times

Difficulty 600–1199

These are mate in 3 puzzles rated 600–1199, the Foundation level on this site. They come from real rated games: 77,374 puzzles, median rating 1014, solved 86,158,680 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 3 puzzles at foundation level: the numbers

There are 77,374 mate in 3 puzzles at foundation level, solved 86,158,680 times in total. The median rating is 1014.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 77,374Endgame tactics · 48,751Back-rank mate · 35,476Sacrifice · 30,588Middlegame tactics · 27,990Kingside attack · 7,380Exposed king · 5,313Fork · 4,596Deflection · 3,830Pillsbury's mate · 2,730

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 747Italian Game · 477French Defence · 372Queen's Pawn Game · 286Scandinavian Defense · 279Ruy Lopez · 264Caro–Kann Defence · 261Scotch Game · 260

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 3 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 3 puzzles at foundation level (2.6% of all 77,374).

100% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 1014 for the shortest solutions, 1014 for the longest.

55% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 35.2% and gives check in 99.3%; 100% end in checkmate, 54.1% involve a sacrifice, 47.9% have White to move.

35.2%first move captures
99.3%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
54.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

3 solver moves
100% · median rating 1014

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
55%
Key move by a rook
32.4%
Key move by a knight
5.1%
Key move by a bishop
3.8%
Key move by a pawn
3.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
58.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
19.2%
Captures nothing along the line
6.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
6%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.6%

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)
46.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
9.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
8.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
18.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
16.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0.7%
21–27 pieces
17.2%
13–20 pieces
73.9%
12 pieces or fewer
8.2%

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: f7 (29%), e8 (8.1%), c8 (6.7%), d8 (6.4%), a8 (6.2%).

6.26.16.76.48.13.31.21.38
2.42.73.7291.42.37
11.831.46
1.65
1.34
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 3 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♞♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟
♛♙
♙♙
♙
♙♘♕
♔♖
White to move · rating 856 · solved 3,723 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Kh8 → Qf8+ → Bxf8 → Rxf8#

♜♜♚
♟♛♟
♝♞♘♖♟
♙♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
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 965 · solved 3,420 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re7

Solution: Qh8+ → Nf8 → Qxf8+ → Re8 → Qxe8#

♜♚
♕
♟♗♟
♜
♝♙
♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 983 · solved 3,420 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf1

Solution: Rxf1+ → Kh2 → Be5+ → g3 → Rd2#

♜♛♚♞♜
♕♟♟♟
♘
♟
♙
♝♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1101 · solved 5,086 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc7

Solution: Qg5+ → Kh1 → Be4+ → f3 → Bxf3#

♜♚
♟♟
♝
♟
♛♟♟♙
♗♙
♕♙
♔
White to move · rating 1131 · solved 12,314 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe8

Solution: Qxe8+ → Qf8 → Bd5+ → Kh8 → Qxf8#

♜♟♚
♖♘
♟♞
♜
♔
White to move · rating 1137 · solved 3,969 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Ng5+ → Kh8 → Rb8+ → Re8 → Rxe8#

♜♚
♕♟♟♟
♟♟
♛♙
♙
♙♜♟
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1141 · solved 6,898 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc3

Solution: Qxc8+ → Rxc8 → Rxc8+ → Qd8 → Rxd8#

♜♜♚
♟♘♟♟
♟♟
♟♖♟
♗♞♙
♙
♝♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1143 · solved 3,300 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rfd8

Solution: Nf6+ → Kh8 → Rxh5+ → Bh7 → Rxh7#

♜♞♝♛♜
♚♗♟
♟♝♞♟
♟♟
♟
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
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#

♜
♖
♟♚
♝♙♟♙
♗♙♔
♙
Black to move · rating 1187 · solved 3,669 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh4

Solution: Bf2+ → Kh5 → Rh8+ → Rh7 → Rxh7#

♜
♟♚
♖♞♟
♟♙♕♟
♙♙♙
♙♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1197 · solved 3,633 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh3

Solution: Nxf4+ → gxf4 → R8e3+ → Qf3 → Rxf3#

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 3 puzzles by difficulty

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