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Defensive move Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1968 · solved 9,252,681 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These defensive move puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 4,896 puzzles, median rating 1968, solved 9,252,681 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 defensive move puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

defensive move puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 4,896 defensive move puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 9,252,681 times in total. The median rating is 1968.

How hard are they?

Foundation
186 · 3.8%
Developing
840 · 17.2%
Challenging
1,563 · 31.9%
Advanced
2,307 · 47.1%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 3,765Opening tactics · 1,101Hanging piece · 657Fork · 347Pin · 339Sacrifice · 320Quiet move · 163Trapped piece · 144

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 4,896

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical defensive move solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 defensive move puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (40.8% of all 4,896).

55% need 2 solver moves, 35.3% need 3 solver moves, 6.6% need 4 solver moves, 3% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1836 for the shortest solutions, 2508 for the longest.

21.8% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 46.8% and gives check in 13.6%; 0.2% end in checkmate, 11.8% involve a sacrifice, 61.6% have White to move.

46.8%first move captures
13.6%first move gives check
0.2%end in checkmate
11.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
55% · median rating 1836
3 solver moves
35.3% · median rating 2047
4 solver moves
6.6% · median rating 2272
5+ solver moves
3% · median rating 2508

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
21.8%
Key move by a pawn
19.1%
Key move by a queen
17.6%
Key move by a knight
15.5%
Key move by the king
15.4%
Key move by a rook
10.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: bishop
22.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
22%
Most valuable capture: queen
21%
Captures nothing along the line
16%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
8.4%

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)
28.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
33.9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
20.4%
21–27 pieces
75.6%
13–20 pieces
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: d2 (5%), e4 (4.8%), d5 (4.4%), e3 (4%), b4 (3.7%).

1.38
1.21.81.32.47
1.51.21.43.11.126
1.614.42.41.331.85
3.72.43.64.82.12.84
13.21.742.431.33
152.43.522.62
1.41.11.31.81.81
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜
♟♟♝♟
♟♜♟♟
♛♙
♗♕♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 973 · solved 199 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa5+

Solution: Bd2 → Qxd2+ → Kxd2

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟
♟♝♟
♟♙
♙♟♛♙♟
♙♘♙
♙♗♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1092 · solved 413 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4+

Solution: Be3 → Qxe3+ → Qxe3

♜♞♜
♟♟♝♚♟♟
♟♝
♛♗♟
♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1172 · solved 739 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa5+

Solution: Bd2 → Qb6 → Bxe6+

♜♚
♜♟♘♛♟
♟♞♟♝♟♟
♘
♙
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1257 · solved 765 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf6

Solution: Nxf6+ → Kf8 → Nxd7+ → Rxd7 → Nd5

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♞♟♟♗
♞♛♟
♟♙
♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1302 · solved 924 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh7+

Solution: Kxh7 → Ng5+ → Kg8

♜♜♚
♟♟♝♟♟
♛♟♝
♞♘
♞
♙♗
♙♕♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1382 · solved 213 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd4

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kh8 → Qh5

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♞
♗♟
♘♟
♙♙♙♙♙♝
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1560 · solved 1,125 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh2+

Solution: Kxh2 → Ng4+ → Kg1

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♝♟
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1624 · solved 581 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd5

Solution: Qa4+ → Bd7 → Qxb4 → Bc6 → f3

♜♝♜♚
♛♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♙
♙
♝♗♗♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1850 · solved 484 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc3+

Solution: bxc3 → Qxc3+ → Ke2

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♛♞
♘
♙♙♙♗♕♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1961 · solved 606 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa5

Solution: Nxd5 → Qxd5 → Bc3 → Bh6+ → Kb1

♜♚♜
♝♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♘♛♗
♕
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 2011 · solved 749 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Qxg5+ → Kb1 → O-O

♜♚♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♞
♙
♙♘♛♗♙
♙♕♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2042 · solved 615 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc3+

Solution: Bd2 → Qxc2 → Nxa5

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 pieceAttacks on f2 / f7AttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Defensive move puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelDeveloping levelAdvanced levelChallenging level