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Mate in 1 Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 864 · solved 23,658,769 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These mate in 1 puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 45,332 puzzles, median rating 864, solved 23,658,769 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 1 puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

mate in 1 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 45,332 mate in 1 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 23,658,769 times in total. The median rating is 864.

How hard are they?

Foundation
39,026 · 86.1%
Developing
5,418 · 12%
Challenging
869 · 1.9%
Advanced
19 · 0%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 45,332Middlegame tactics · 33,977Kingside attack · 14,976Opening tactics · 10,884Attacks on f2 / f7 · 3,694Hanging piece · 2,113Smothered mate · 1,678Queenside attack · 1,675Pin · 1,069Back-rank mate · 1,064

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 45,332

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 1 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 1 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (4.4% of all 45,332).

100% need 1 solver move. Median rating: 867 for the shortest solutions, 867 for the longest.

74.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 58.2% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 0% involve a sacrifice, 61.4% have White to move.

58.2%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
0%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
100% · median rating 867

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
74.8%
Key move by a knight
11.8%
Key move by a rook
6.5%
Key move by a bishop
6.2%
Key move by a pawn
0.7%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
47%
Captures nothing along the line
41.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
4.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
2.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
2.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
1.5%

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)
41.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
47%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
4.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
4.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
23.8%
21–27 pieces
72.6%
13–20 pieces
3.6%
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: h7 (24.8%), g7 (15.5%), f7 (14.5%), d8 (5.6%), e8 (4.3%).

5.64.32.918
2.332.13.314.515.524.87
2.91.63.22.61.56
15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 1 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♝♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♞♟♟♟
♞♟
♙
♗♘
♘
♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 785 · solved 2,342 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nge7

Solution: Nd6#

♜♜♚
♟♟♝♟♟
♛♞♟♟
♟♞
♙♙♝
♙♘♙
♙♙♗♙♘
♖♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 840 · solved 5,123 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Ng3#

♜♝♚♞♜
♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♘♙
♕♙♗
♗♙
♙♙♙♔♙
♛
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 1251 · solved 2,138 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb5

Solution: Qf7#

♜♝♚
♟♛♙♟♟♟
♙♘♜♟♙
♙♙♗♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1256 · solved 2,711 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd3

Solution: e8=R#

♜♛♝♞♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟
♟
♗♟♙♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♝♖♔
White to move · rating 1405 · solved 2,608 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Rxf7#

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

Opponent's last move: Rd1

Solution: Qxc2#

♜♝♚
♟♟♛♟
♞♜♟♟
♟♘♕
♗♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1621 · solved 1,042 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: Qe8#

♜♝♛♜
♟♟♞♘♝♟
♞♚♟
♗
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1623 · solved 1,069 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxe6

Solution: Bc4#

♜♚♝♞
♟♟♟♟
♟♜
♟♟
♞♙♛
♘♖♗♟
♙♙♙♙♔♙
♖♗♕♘
Black to move · rating 2015 · solved 5,609 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf1

Solution: Qh4#

♛♝♜
♘♚♟♟
♝♞♟
♜♘♟♟♕
♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2047 · solved 155 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ba6

Solution: Qxf5#

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 tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 1 puzzles by difficulty

Challenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level