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Checkmate Puzzles from the Philidor Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 955 · solved 9,442,902 times

Opening: Philidor Defence

These checkmate puzzles were set in games that began as the Philidor Defence: 7,714 puzzles, median rating 955, solved 9,442,902 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.

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By the numbers

checkmate puzzles from Philidor Defence games: the numbers

There are 7,714 checkmate puzzles from Philidor Defence games, solved 9,442,902 times in total. The median rating is 955.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,747 · 74.5%
Developing
1,498 · 19.4%
Challenging
399 · 5.2%
Advanced
70 · 0.9%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 5,664Mate in 1 · 5,293Kingside attack · 2,346Mate in 2 · 2,012Opening tactics · 1,838Attacks on f2 / f7 · 736Sacrifice · 508Back-rank mate · 478Queenside attack · 371Mate in 3 · 359

Which openings produce them?

Philidor Defence · 7,714

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical checkmate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 checkmate puzzles from Philidor Defence games (25.9% of all 7,714).

67.8% need 1 solver move, 26.8% need 2 solver moves, 4.8% need 3 solver moves, 0.6% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 867 for the shortest solutions, 1922 for the longest.

66.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 49.9% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 9.4% involve a sacrifice, 72% have White to move.

49.9%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
9.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
67.8% · median rating 867
2 solver moves
26.8% · median rating 1159
3 solver moves
4.8% · median rating 1377
4 solver moves
0.6% · median rating 1922

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
66.6%
Key move by a rook
12.1%
Key move by a bishop
10.6%
Key move by a knight
9.6%
Key move by a pawn
1.1%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
39.3%
Most valuable capture: pawn
38.1%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.5%
Most valuable capture: queen
4%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.3%

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)
45.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
37.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
5.9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
9%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
21.1%
21–27 pieces
74.3%
13–20 pieces
4.6%
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 (19.9%), h7 (13.2%), g7 (12.5%), d8 (10.2%), e8 (6.4%).

1.410.26.42.31.18
1.41.421.61.919.912.513.27
2.63.12.83.46
11.211.35
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜
♟♟♟♛♝
♞♟♟♟
♕♟
♙
♙♙♘♙
♙♙♙♘
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 929 · solved 2,902 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg2

Solution: Qxh3+ → Kg1 → Qxg2#

♜♞♕♛♝♞♜
♟♚♗♟
♟♟♟♟
♟♙
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 939 · solved 1,810 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke7

Solution: Qe6#

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♕♟♟
♛♟♖♞
♟♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 1081 · solved 1,776 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc6

Solution: Nf7#

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

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bf7+ → Ke7 → Bg5#

♜♜♚
♟♟♝♟♞
♟♞♝♟
♘
♗
♙♙♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♛♖♔
White to move · rating 1346 · solved 2,943 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd1

Solution: Nxg6#

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♞♝♟
♟♟♗♟
♟♕
♙♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1355 · solved 2,777 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe8

Solution: Qxh6#

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

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh4#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟
♘♞
♙
♗♖
♙♙♙♛♙♙
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 1628 · solved 2,443 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qh5#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♘♕
♙♛
♖
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1846 · solved 1,487 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3+ → Qh4 → Rxh4#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♞♟
♟♟♙
♟♟♕
♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1848 · solved 1,121 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Qxg6+ → Kh8 → Qg7#

♜♝♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♙♟
♟
♗♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2179 · solved 231 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxb5

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kxf7 → Qd5+ → Ke8 → Qh5+ → g6 → Qxg6#

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♘
♖
♗♗
♙♙♙♙
♝♘♔
White to move · rating 2426 · solved 413 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Nf7+ → Kd7 → Ba4+ → b5 → Bxb5+ → c6 → Re7#

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 Philidor Defence

Middlegame tacticsOpening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Checkmate puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level