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Checkmate Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 935 · solved 64,280,301 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These checkmate puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 60,775 puzzles, median rating 935, solved 64,280,301 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 checkmate puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

checkmate puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 60,775 checkmate puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 64,280,301 times in total. The median rating is 935.

How hard are they?

Foundation
46,910 · 77.2%
Developing
10,045 · 16.5%
Challenging
3,130 · 5.2%
Advanced
690 · 1.1%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 46,419Mate in 1 · 45,332Kingside attack · 21,332Opening tactics · 13,433Mate in 2 · 12,585Attacks on f2 / f7 · 4,291Sacrifice · 3,805Queenside attack · 2,807Back-rank mate · 2,802Mate in 3 · 2,450

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 60,775

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 Sicilian Defence games (3.3% of all 60,775).

74.1% need 1 solver move, 21.2% need 2 solver moves, 4.2% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 856 for the shortest solutions, 1407 for the longest.

68.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 52.8% and gives check in 99.8%; 100% end in checkmate, 9.3% involve a sacrifice, 62% have White to move.

52.8%first move captures
99.8%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
9.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
74.1% · median rating 856
2 solver moves
21.2% · median rating 1154
3 solver moves
4.2% · median rating 1407

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
68.6%
Key move by a knight
13.8%
Key move by a rook
8.8%
Key move by a bishop
7.8%
Key move by a pawn
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
43.5%
Captures nothing along the line
36.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
8.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.3%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.9%
Most valuable capture: queen
3.2%

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)
43.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
41.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
5.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
7%
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%
21–27 pieces
73.7%
13–20 pieces
5.3%
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%), f7 (13.9%), g7 (11.8%), d8 (7%), f6 (4.8%).

74.82.91.28
1.11.82.92.23.113.911.8217
2.61.54.83.22.96
1.65
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 840 · solved 5,123 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Ng3#

♜♜♚
♟♛♟♟♟
♝♝♟
♟♗
♞
♙♘♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1091 · solved 3,153 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h3

Solution: Bh2+ → Nxh2 → Qxh2#

♜♝♚♞♜
♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♘♙
♕♙♗
♗♙
♙♙♙♔♙
♛
White to move · rating 1096 · solved 3,782 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc8

Solution: Qd8#

♛♚♜♞♜
♞♟♝♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♘
♘♙♙
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1250 · solved 4,216 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxa7

Solution: Nb6#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♝♘♟
♞♗
♛♞
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1342 · solved 3,438 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf5

Solution: Ne6+ → Ke8 → Qh5#

♜♝♝♜
♟♘♚♟♟♟
♟♛♟
♕♗
♙♙♔♙♙
White to move · rating 1522 · solved 3,169 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd7

Solution: Qxf7+ → Be7 → Qxe7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♕♟♟
♘♘♞♛
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1534 · solved 3,255 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Nc7+ → Kd8 → Nxf7#

♜♚♜
♟♛♟♟
♟♟♟♝
♕♟
♙
♘
♙♙♙♖♙♙♙
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1612 · solved 1,180 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd1

Solution: Qxc2#

♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♘♟
♘
♛
♙♙♞♟♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1631 · solved 2,366 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb5

Solution: Qe1+ → Qxe1 → dxe1=Q#

♜♜♚
♝♝♟♟♟
♟♛♞♘♟
♟♙♟
♕♙♞
♙♘♗
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1668 · solved 1,075 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe4

Solution: Qg1+ → Rxg1 → Nf2#

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♝♞
♘
♙
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 2011 · solved 763 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg6

Solution: Qh3+ → Nh4 → Qxh4+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♞♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙♙
♗♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
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 tacticsMate in 1Opening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Checkmate puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level