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Attraction Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1754 · solved 21,267,261 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These attraction puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 5,442 puzzles, median rating 1754, solved 21,267,261 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 attraction puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

attraction puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 5,442 attraction puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 21,267,261 times in total. The median rating is 1754.

How hard are they?

Foundation
292 · 5.4%
Developing
1,531 · 28.1%
Challenging
1,985 · 36.5%
Advanced
1,634 · 30%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 4,407Sacrifice · 3,637Kingside attack · 2,045Fork · 1,933Opening tactics · 991Checkmate · 899Pin · 434Deflection · 423

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 5,442

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical attraction solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 attraction puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (36.8% of all 5,442).

19% need 2 solver moves, 61.1% need 3 solver moves, 14.3% need 4 solver moves, 5.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1595 for the shortest solutions, 2289 for the longest.

34.7% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 86.4% and gives check in 67.2%; 17.2% end in checkmate, 80% involve a sacrifice, 73.8% have White to move.

86.4%first move captures
67.2%first move gives check
17.2%end in checkmate
80%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
19% · median rating 1595
3 solver moves
61.1% · median rating 1727
4 solver moves
14.3% · median rating 2035
5+ solver moves
5.6% · median rating 2289

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
34.7%
Key move by a queen
29.2%
Key move by a rook
24.4%
Key move by a knight
8.4%
Key move by a pawn
3.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
41.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
24.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
13.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
12.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
5.8%
Captures nothing along the line
2.4%

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)
42.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
10.5%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
24.7%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
17.4%
21–27 pieces
78.2%
13–20 pieces
4.4%
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: h7 (21.4%), g7 (12.6%), f7 (11.3%), c8 (5.3%), f6 (4.5%).

1.25.32.91.13.82.78
2.24.14.211.312.621.47
1.61.84.56
1.73.31.71.25
114
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♛♜♚
♟♜♟♝♟
♟♘♟♟♟
♙♗♝♙
♙
♙♕♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1110 · solved 561 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe4

Solution: Bxg7 → Kxg7 → Qd4+ → Kg8 → Qxe4

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♝
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1147 · solved 561 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd8

Solution: Rxd8+ → Kxd8 → Nxf7+ → Ke8 → Nxh8

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♝♟
♟♟♟♕
♟♟♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1167 · solved 726 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d5

Solution: Rxf7 → Kxf7 → Qh7+

♜♞♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♝
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1298 · solved 1,749 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: Qxd1+ → Kxd1 → Bxf3+

♜♝♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♙
♙♗♞
♘♗♛
♙♙♙♕
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1342 · solved 4,328 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Bxf4 → Rxf4 → Qg3+ → Qg2 → Qxf4

♜♞♜♚
♛♟♝♟
♟♗♞♟♝♟
♘♟
♗♙
♟♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1367 · solved 1,383 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: bxc3

Solution: Bxc6 → Qxc6 → Ne7+ → Kh8 → Nxc6

♜♜
♟♝♚♟♟
♖♟♟
♘
♗
♙♝♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1374 · solved 1,546 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb7

Solution: Rc7+ → Rd7 → Rxd7+ → Kxd7 → Nc5+

♜♞♝♜♚
♛♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♟♕
♝♙
♘♗♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1671 · solved 2,154 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe7

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qh5+ → Kg8 → Ng5 → Qxg5 → Qxg5

♜♜
♟♝♟♚♟
♟♛♟♞♟
♟♕
♙♙
♗♘♘♙
♞♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1740 · solved 672 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb2

Solution: Qxf6+ → Kxf6 → Nd5+ → Kg7 → Nxb6

♜♜
♟♟♚
♞♟♕♟
♛
♙♙
♝
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1858 · solved 497 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Qd7+ → Rf7 → Rh7+ → Kxh7 → Qxf7+

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♝
♝♞♟♟
♕
♘♗♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 2001 · solved 402 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg7

Solution: Qxe7+ → Kxe7 → Bc5#

♜♞♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙♙
♗♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2236 · solved 613 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg8

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Qh5+ → Kg8 → g6 → Rf5 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8#

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 Sicilian Defence

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateMate in 1Opening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Attraction puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level