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Mate in 4 Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1428 · solved 43,804,970 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are mate in 4 puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 8,786 puzzles, median rating 1428, solved 43,804,970 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 4 puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 8,786 mate in 4 puzzles at developing level, solved 43,804,970 times in total. The median rating is 1428.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 8,786Sacrifice · 4,964Middlegame tactics · 4,369Endgame tactics · 4,338Attraction · 1,974Kingside attack · 1,727Deflection · 1,087Exposed king · 823Back-rank mate · 760Fork · 708

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 98Queen's Pawn Game · 78French Defence · 62Italian Game · 61Caro–Kann Defence · 39Scandinavian Defense · 33Ruy Lopez · 28Scotch Game · 27

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 4 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 4 puzzles at developing level (22.8% of all 8,786).

100% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1429 for the shortest solutions, 1429 for the longest.

48.7% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 47.4% and gives check in 97.2%; 100% end in checkmate, 65.4% involve a sacrifice, 51.8% have White to move.

47.4%first move captures
97.2%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
65.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

4 solver moves
100% · median rating 1429

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
48.7%
Key move by a rook
28.2%
Key move by a knight
10.4%
Key move by a bishop
7%
Key move by a pawn
4.6%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
35.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
26.4%
Captures nothing along the line
11.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10.9%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
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)
33.7%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
20.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
13.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
25.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1%
21–27 pieces
23.4%
13–20 pieces
71.3%
12 pieces or fewer
4.4%

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 (23.5%), h7 (9.5%), e7 (6.2%), h8 (6%), g7 (5.5%).

2.11.52.13.13.43.21.568
1.71.16.223.55.59.57
2.33.14.32.76
1.11.11.32.95
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 mate in 4 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♜
♟♛
♙♙♕
♙♖♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1221 · solved 2,924 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Rd8+ → Qe8 → Rxe8+ → Rf8 → Rfxf8#

♜♚
♟♕♖♟♟
♛
♟
♜♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1273 · solved 2,747 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Qxf2+ → Rxf2 → Rc1+ → Qd1 → Rxd1+ → Rf1 → Rdxf1#

♜
♚♟♟
♟♟♟♝
♕
♛♙
♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1313 · solved 2,950 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf3

Solution: Rd7+ → Rb7 → Qa4+ → Kb8 → Rd8+ → Kc7 → Qd7#

♞♚
♟
♖♟♗♜♟♙
♟♙♟♕
♙
♙
♜♛
♔
White to move · rating 1353 · solved 2,950 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf6

Solution: Qxf6+ → Nxf6 → Ra8+ → Rb8 → Rxb8+ → Ne8 → Rxe8#

♝♜♚
♟♖♟
♟
♟♟
♘♙♛
♙♙♙♕
♙♖♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1355 · solved 2,816 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe7

Solution: Qd1+ → Qe1 → Qxe1+ → Rxe1 → Rxe1+ → Rf1 → Rxf1#

♜♝
♟♕♝♚
♟♟
♟♛
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1450 · solved 3,323 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxb7

Solution: Rxc1+ → Kxc1 → Bh6+ → f4 → Bxf4+ → Kd1 → Qb1#

♜♛♚♜
♞♝♟
♟♟♞♟
♟♟
♟♙♗
♙♙♘♙
♙♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1455 · solved 3,293 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg6

Solution: Qxg6+ → Kf8 → Ng5 → Qe8 → Nxe6+ → Kg8 → Qxg7#

♚
♟♕♞♟♟
♝♟♗
♙♙
♙
♙♙♜♛
♖♔
White to move · rating 1493 · solved 4,937 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf2

Solution: Qa8+ → Rc8 → Qxc8+ → Nxc8 → Re8+ → Bf8 → Rxf8#

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♙
♘♟
♞♙
♙
♙♛♕♙
♔
White to move · rating 1526 · solved 2,700 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc2

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → hxg7+ → Kxg7 → Qg5+ → Kh8 → Qf6#

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♗
♟♛
♙♕
♙
♙
♔
♝
White to move · rating 1531 · solved 5,933 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf6

Solution: Bg6+ → Kg8 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Ke7 → Qe8#

♜♚
♕♟♟♟
♜♛
♟
♙
♖
♙♞♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1537 · solved 3,878 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe6

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Rd8+ → Re8 → Rxe8+ → Rf8 → Rfxf8#

♜♜
♟♛♚♟
♟♟♟
♙♟
♙♟
♙♖
♙♙♕♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1541 · solved 2,827 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rac8

Solution: Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qxg6+ → Kh8 → Rh1+ → Qh4 → Rxh4#

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 4 puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging level