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Sacrifice Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1423 · solved 482,611,312 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are sacrifice puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 115,937 puzzles, median rating 1423, solved 482,611,312 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

sacrifice puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 115,937 sacrifice puzzles at developing level, solved 482,611,312 times in total. The median rating is 1423.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 71,251Middlegame tactics · 68,552Endgame tactics · 44,912Attraction · 43,443Mate in 2 · 36,485Mate in 3 · 29,340Kingside attack · 27,525Fork · 24,471Back-rank mate · 10,504

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 2,637French Defence · 1,061Italian Game · 1,039Caro–Kann Defence · 885Queen's Pawn Game · 824Scandinavian Defense · 727Scotch Game · 609Ruy Lopez · 560

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical sacrifice solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 sacrifice puzzles at developing level (1.7% of all 115,937).

37.6% need 2 solver moves, 53.9% need 3 solver moves, 7.9% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1401 for the shortest solutions, 1493 for the longest.

43.4% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 66.4% and gives check in 79.4%; 61.8% end in checkmate, 94.6% involve a sacrifice, 52.3% have White to move.

66.4%first move captures
79.4%first move gives check
61.8%end in checkmate
94.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
37.6% · median rating 1401
3 solver moves
53.9% · median rating 1421
4 solver moves
7.9% · median rating 1455
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 1493

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
43.4%
Key move by a rook
37.8%
Key move by a knight
11.8%
Key move by a bishop
4.7%
Key move by a pawn
2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
31.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
23%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18.9%
Captures nothing along the line
13.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7%
Most valuable capture: knight
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)
64%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
7.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
17.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
2.4%
21–27 pieces
36.8%
13–20 pieces
57.4%
12 pieces or fewer
3.5%

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 (12.4%), h7 (11.2%), h6 (6.9%), f8 (5.4%), g6 (4.7%).

1.62.62.93.15.43.83.68
12.12.13.612.43.411.27
11.81.12.34.14.76.96
2.72.11.711.55
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 sacrifice puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♜♛
♟
♟
♙♝♙
♙♕♙♘
♘♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1203 · solved 5,517 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rce1

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh6#

♟♟
♙♚♝♟♟
♟♗
♔♙♙
♖♙♙
♜
White to move · rating 1330 · solved 7,782 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg2

Solution: Rxc6+ → Kxc6 → Be4+ → Kb6 → Bxg2

♕
♜♚♟
♟♟
♟
♟♛♙♟
♙♙♙♖
♜♙♔♙
♖
White to move · rating 1337 · solved 5,945 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh1+ → Kg7 → Qh8#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♘♞♟
♟♙♕
♙♖
♙♛♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1361 · solved 5,776 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh8

Solution: Qxh6+ → gxh6 → Rxh6+ → Kg7 → Rh7#

♖♜♚
♟♟♟
♕
♛
♙
♙♙
♜♙
♞♔
White to move · rating 1411 · solved 5,389 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf1

Solution: Qe8+ → Rxe8 → Rxe8#

♜
♜♟♚
♟♛♕♟
♖♖♟
♙
♙
♙
♔
White to move · rating 1429 · solved 5,380 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc6

Solution: Rxh5+ → gxh5 → Rxh5+ → Kg8 → Rh8#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟♟
♝♟♙♟♕
♙♖
♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1438 · solved 6,382 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh4#

♟♟♟♚
♟
♙♕♙♛
♙♜
♙♜♙
♖♔
♖
Black to move · rating 1472 · solved 20,685 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg1

Solution: Rxh3+ → Kxh3 → Rh4#

♚
♟♕♞♟♟
♝♟♗
♙♙
♙
♙♙♜♛
♖♔
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#

♝♟♚
♟
♟♙♘
♟♙♙♞
♙♗♕♔
♙♛
Black to move · rating 1506 · solved 6,122 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg5

Solution: Qg2+ → Kxh4 → Qh2+ → Qh3 → Bxg5+ → Kxg5 → Qxh3

♟♟♚
♟♞♟
♙
♜
♙♕♟♘♛
♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1534 · solved 4,949 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd3

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh4#

♖♖♟♚
♟♜
♟♛♟
♟
♙♙♟♙
♙♙♙♙
♕♔
Black to move · rating 1555 · solved 6,002 times · Mate in 7.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ree7

Solution: Rxh3+ → Kg1 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qh7+ → Kg1 → Qh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1+ → Ke2 → Qxg2+ → Ke1 → Qf2#

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

Sacrifice puzzles by difficulty

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