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Mate in 2 Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1148 · solved 29,092,601 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These mate in 2 puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 12,585 puzzles, median rating 1148, solved 29,092,601 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 2 puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

mate in 2 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 12,585 mate in 2 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 29,092,601 times in total. The median rating is 1148.

How hard are they?

Foundation
7,120 · 56.6%
Developing
3,687 · 29.3%
Challenging
1,557 · 12.4%
Advanced
221 · 1.8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 12,585Middlegame tactics · 10,001Kingside attack · 5,187Opening tactics · 2,220Sacrifice · 2,201Back-rank mate · 1,143Queenside attack · 1,043Discovered attack · 725Fork · 621Pin · 567

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 12,585

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 2 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 2 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (15.9% of all 12,585).

100% need 2 solver moves. Median rating: 1151 for the shortest solutions, 1151 for the longest.

51.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 38.2% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 27.1% involve a sacrifice, 61.3% have White to move.

38.2%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
27.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
100% · median rating 1151

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
51.6%
Key move by a knight
20.7%
Key move by a rook
13.2%
Key move by a bishop
13%
Key move by a pawn
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
33.6%
Captures nothing along the line
25.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
17%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
6.6%

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)
47%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
29.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
14%
21–27 pieces
77.7%
13–20 pieces
8.3%
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: f6 (13%), h7 (11.5%), f7 (10.6%), d8 (9.1%), e8 (7.6%).

21.79.17.621.68
1.92.11.51.810.61.111.57
2.32.52.3133.84.56
11.61.33.75
2.44
1.13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 2 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♝♟
♟♟♟
♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 915 · solved 2,191 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd8

Solution: Qh5+ → g6 → Qxg6#

♜♜♚
♟♛♟♟♟
♝♝♟
♟♗
♞
♙♘♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♖♔
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 1174 · solved 2,277 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng6

Solution: Nxf6+ → gxf6 → Qh7#

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

Opponent's last move: Nf5

Solution: Ne6+ → Ke8 → Qh5#

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♗♟
♙♞♘♞
♙♘♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1347 · solved 3,161 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Nxf3+ → gxf3 → Qh2#

♜♝♝♜
♟♘♚♟♟♟
♟♛♟
♕♗
♙♙♔♙♙
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 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 1867 · solved 1,048 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: Ne6+ → Kc8 → Rd8#

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

Opponent's last move: Bg7

Solution: Qxe7+ → Kxe7 → Bc5#

♜♜♚
♝♘♘♟♟♟
♟
♟♟♙
♞♞♙
♙♗♗
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2013 · solved 577 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc7

Solution: Nf2+ → Kg1 → Nh3#

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 attackPinSacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 2 puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level