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Mate in 2 Puzzles from the Italian Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1129 · solved 14,631,029 times

Opening: Italian Game

These mate in 2 puzzles were set in games that began as the Italian Game: 6,468 puzzles, median rating 1129, solved 14,631,029 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 the solutions are built.

All mate in 2 puzzles Print a worksheet About the Italian Game

By the numbers

mate in 2 puzzles from Italian Game games: the numbers

There are 6,468 mate in 2 puzzles from Italian Game games, solved 14,631,029 times in total. The median rating is 1129.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,761 · 58.1%
Developing
1,746 · 27%
Challenging
833 · 12.9%
Advanced
128 · 2%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 6,468Middlegame tactics · 5,171Kingside attack · 2,878Sacrifice · 1,085Opening tactics · 1,057Back-rank mate · 748Fork · 562Pin · 552Attacks on f2 / f7 · 335Discovered check · 282

Which openings produce them?

Italian Game · 6,468

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 2 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 2 puzzles from Italian Game games (30.9% of all 6,468).

100% need 2 solver moves. Median rating: 1133 for the shortest solutions, 1133 for the longest.

62.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 38% and gives check in 99.9%; 100% end in checkmate, 25.6% involve a sacrifice, 56% have White to move.

38%first move captures
99.9%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
25.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
100% · median rating 1133

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
62.8%
Key move by a knight
13.2%
Key move by a rook
13%
Key move by a bishop
9.8%
Key move by a pawn
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
29.7%
Captures nothing along the line
26.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
22.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8%
Most valuable capture: queen
7.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.9%

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)
43.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
25.5%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
10.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
14.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
5.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
12.4%
21–27 pieces
77.9%
13–20 pieces
9.8%
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 (20.4%), e8 (10.5%), d8 (10.3%), f6 (8.1%), h7 (6%).

10.310.52.81.718
3.320.4167
1.22.88.14.64.16
2.71.22.32.85
2.84
1.33
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 2 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♛♜
♟♟♟♚
♟♟
♝♟
♟♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 881 · solved 2,511 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh8

Solution: Qxh6+ → Kg8 → Qxh8#

♜♜♚
♟♟♙♟♟
♞♖
♗
♟
♕♝♛♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔
Black to move · rating 1104 · solved 2,850 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd5

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qf1#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♙
♛♟♗♕
♞
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
White to move · rating 1111 · solved 2,682 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be6

Solution: f7+ → Bxf7 → Qxf7#

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♘
♙♙♗♞♙♟
♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♝♔♖
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 1379 · solved 2,102 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke6

Solution: Qf5+ → Kd6 → Bf4#

♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♜
♞
♙
♙♙♘♝♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1437 · solved 2,241 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd2

Solution: Ng3+ → hxg3 → Rh6#

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♗♟♟
♞
♝
♞
♙
♙♙♛♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1576 · solved 1,664 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd3

Solution: Qg1+ → Rxg1 → Nf2#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♛
♗
♘♙
♙♙♕♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1638 · solved 951 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Re8#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♗♛
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1652 · solved 1,175 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Re8#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♟
♛♞♟
♝♟
♘
♙♗♙
♙♙♘♕♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1965 · solved 1,832 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd4

Solution: Qxc3+ → bxc3 → Ba3#

♜♚♝♜
♟♕♟♝♛♟♟♟
♗
♞
♘♞
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2079 · solved 207 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Ng3+ → fxg3 → Qe1#

♜♚♘
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝♞
♟
♛♟
♙♝
♙♙♙♘♗♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2201 · solved 367 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kxf2 → Bc5#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same opening, other tactics

More puzzles from the Italian Game

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attack

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 2 puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level