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Trapped piece Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1767 · solved 80,273,738 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are trapped piece puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 25,632 puzzles, median rating 1767, solved 80,273,738 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.

All trapped piece puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

trapped piece puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 25,632 trapped piece puzzles at challenging level, solved 80,273,738 times in total. The median rating is 1767.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 16,781Endgame tactics · 6,139Opening tactics · 2,712Quiet move · 1,123Defensive move · 1,044Rook endgame tactics · 684Clearance · 599Fork · 554

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 1,694French Defence · 721Queen's Pawn Game · 718Caro–Kann Defence · 580Italian Game · 489Scandinavian Defense · 467English Opening · 390Queen's Gambit Declined · 377

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical trapped piece solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 trapped piece puzzles at challenging level (7.8% of all 25,632).

65.1% need 2 solver moves, 29.8% need 3 solver moves, 4.5% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1747 for the shortest solutions, 1821 for the longest.

25.6% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 13.7% and gives check in 5.4%; 0% end in checkmate, 26.5% involve a sacrifice, 52.1% have White to move.

13.7%first move captures
5.4%first move gives check
0%end in checkmate
26.5%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
65.1% · median rating 1747
3 solver moves
29.8% · median rating 1806
4 solver moves
4.5% · median rating 1806
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 1821

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
25.6%
Key move by a bishop
24.8%
Key move by a pawn
18.3%
Key move by a knight
15.2%
Key move by the king
9.2%
Key move by a queen
7%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
69.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
17.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.7%

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)
0.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
11.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
40%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
38.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
17.8%
21–27 pieces
54.9%
13–20 pieces
22.8%
12 pieces or fewer
4.6%

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: g4 (5%), g5 (4.7%), f3 (3.9%), e2 (3.2%), f4 (3.2%).

8
1.21.47
1.11.26
11.21.41.71.81.84.71.35
2.722.52.62.23.252.54
1.52.531.91.73.92.61.33
1.31.92.73.22.51.412
3.22.81.61.52.11.71.52.41
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟
♟♟♙
♕♝♖
♙♙♘♗
♛♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1604 · solved 1,448 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a3

Solution: b5 → Qxb4 → axb4

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♝♟♟
♟♟
♙
♙♘♗♙
♙♕♖♙♙
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1622 · solved 1,148 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: bxa3

Solution: c4 → Bxc4 → Bxc4

♜♞♚♜
♕♝♟
♟♝♟♛♟♟
♟♟
♙
♙♙♘♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1643 · solved 1,209 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qb7

Solution: Ra7 → Qxa7 → Nxa7

♜♜
♟♟♟♚
♟♟♟
♘♟♝
♞♙♛
♗♙♖
♙♙♙♕♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1656 · solved 1,035 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Rh3 → Qf4 → Nxf4

♜♞♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟♗♟
♗
♝
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1658 · solved 970 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: Qxf3 → Qxf6 → Qxa8 → Nc6 → Qb7

♛
♟♟♚♟
♞♟♜
♙♕♟
♙♟♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♗♘♖
Black to move · rating 1665 · solved 1,416 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg5

Solution: f6 → Qxh6 → Qxh6

♜♜♚
♗♟♛♟♟♟
♞
♙♕♙♗
♙♙♝♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1687 · solved 1,039 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxa7

Solution: b6 → Bxb6 → Qxb6+

♚
♟♟♟
♟♞♟
♙♛♟
♙
♟♙♙♙
♙♕♙
♗♔
White to move · rating 1688 · solved 909 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a3

Solution: b4 → Qxb5 → Bxb5

♜♚
♟♟♕♟♟
♟♛♞
♗♙♜♟
♙
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1690 · solved 931 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Re7 → Qxe7 → Qxe7

♚
♝♟
♟
♟♜
♖♟♙♕
♜♙♖♗♙
♙♔
♛
White to move · rating 1701 · solved 1,325 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf1

Solution: Rd1 → Qxd1 → Qxd1

♟♟♚
♟♟
♟♗
♙
♙♛♕♔♙
Black to move · rating 1714 · solved 1,680 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf2

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kxf2 → g6 → g5 → gxh5

♜♚
♟
♟♜♟♟
♟♘♛
♟♞♙
♙♙♙♙
♙♕♙
♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1819 · solved 1,055 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: h4 → Qh5 → g4 → Rxf5 → gxh5

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

Trapped piece puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelDeveloping level