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Opening tactics Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1392 · solved 309,336,893 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are opening tactics puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 81,269 puzzles, median rating 1392, solved 309,336,893 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

opening tactics puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 81,269 opening tactics puzzles at developing level, solved 309,336,893 times in total. The median rating is 1392.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 17,660Fork · 15,927Mate in 1 · 10,735Kingside attack · 7,104Discovered attack · 6,773Mate in 2 · 5,936Pin · 5,790Attacks on f2 / f7 · 4,520

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 12,120French Defence · 5,374Caro–Kann Defence · 4,446Queen's Pawn Game · 4,440Italian Game · 3,752Scandinavian Defense · 3,715Queen's Gambit Declined · 3,000English Opening · 2,599

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical opening tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 opening tactics puzzles at developing level (2.5% of all 81,269).

13.4% need 1 solver move, 65.4% need 2 solver moves, 20.2% need 3 solver moves, 1% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1330 for the shortest solutions, 1418 for the longest.

36.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.1% and gives check in 56.3%; 20.9% end in checkmate, 20.1% involve a sacrifice, 53% have White to move.

53.1%first move captures
56.3%first move gives check
20.9%end in checkmate
20.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
13.4% · median rating 1330
2 solver moves
65.4% · median rating 1394
3 solver moves
20.2% · median rating 1433
4 solver moves
1% · median rating 1418

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
36.2%
Key move by a bishop
25.4%
Key move by a knight
23.7%
Key move by a pawn
9.8%
Key move by a rook
4.1%
Key move by the king
0.9%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
32.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
19.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
16.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
11.2%
Captures nothing along the line
11%
Most valuable capture: rook
8.8%

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)
16%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
14.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
43.3%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
18%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
55.9%
21–27 pieces
44.1%
13–20 pieces
0%
12 pieces or fewer
0%

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 (9.7%), a4 (8.6%), f6 (7.1%), e5 (5.5%), h5 (5.2%).

1.12.58
1.71.51.59.71.82.87
4.33.327.11.86
3.714.95.51.52.45.25
8.61.41.83.92.811.34
1.411.33
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♛♚♜♞♜
♞♟♝♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♘
♘♙♙
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1250 · solved 4,216 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxa7

Solution: Nb6#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟♟
♙♞♟
♙
♗♛♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1267 · solved 4,274 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd3

Solution: exf7+ → Kxf7 → Ne5+ → Kg8 → Nxd3

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♘
♙♙♗♞♙♟
♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1275 · solved 4,123 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bf7+ → Ke7 → Nd5#

♜♞♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♟
♗♙
♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1284 · solved 4,677 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bf7+ → Ke7 → Bg5#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♘♗
♙♞
♙♘
♙♛♙♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1285 · solved 3,736 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc5

Solution: Qxf2#

♜♝♛♜
♟♟♟♙♚♟
♞♞♟
♟♕
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1351 · solved 4,352 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Qh6#

♜♝♞♜
♟♟♛♟
♟♟♚
♞♟♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1361 · solved 3,900 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf6

Solution: Bg5#

♕♞♚♞♜
♟♟♜♟♟♟
♛
♝
♘♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1378 · solved 7,714 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd1

Solution: Rxd1+ → Kxd1 → Bxc8

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♟♝
♞♙♙♛
♕♗
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♔♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1443 · solved 3,713 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd2

Solution: Nxa2+ → Qxa2 → Qc2#

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♝♟
♞♟♘
♟♞
♙♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1497 · solved 3,823 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxh5

Solution: Qxh5 → hxg6 → Qxh8+

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♝
♟
♟♘♙♟
♗♙♞
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♘♖
White to move · rating 1548 · solved 5,438 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg5

Solution: Nc7+ → Kf8 → Rd8#

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♞
♝♘♟
♗♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1596 · solved 3,716 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Qxg7 → Nxd5 → Qxh8+

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

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

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