ChessPuzzlePrint Free chess puzzles, tools and printables

Real positions. Quiet practice.

Mate in 3 Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1407 · solved 9,136,034 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These mate in 3 puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 2,450 puzzles, median rating 1407, solved 9,136,034 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 3 puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

mate in 3 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 2,450 mate in 3 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 9,136,034 times in total. The median rating is 1407.

How hard are they?

Foundation
747 · 30.5%
Developing
833 · 34%
Challenging
587 · 24%
Advanced
283 · 11.6%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 2,450Middlegame tactics · 2,113Sacrifice · 1,359Kingside attack · 969Back-rank mate · 569Attraction · 376Discovered check · 279Opening tactics · 257Exposed king · 223Double check · 207

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 2,450

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 3 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 3 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (81.6% of all 2,450).

100% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 1407 for the shortest solutions, 1407 for the longest.

52.3% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 42.4% and gives check in 97.4%; 100% end in checkmate, 65.4% involve a sacrifice, 61.3% have White to move.

42.4%first move captures
97.4%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
65.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

3 solver moves
100% · median rating 1407

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
52.3%
Key move by a knight
20%
Key move by a bishop
13.2%
Key move by a rook
12.1%
Key move by a pawn
2.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
30.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18.8%
Captures nothing along the line
14.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
14.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
13.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
9%

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)
58%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
17.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
12.7%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
8.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
9.2%
21–27 pieces
77.3%
13–20 pieces
13.6%
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: f7 (22.8%), h6 (6.9%), g6 (6.3%), h7 (6.2%), e7 (4.7%).

1.64.22.91.83.78
3.444.722.83.56.27
1.523.56.36.96
1.31.54.15
1.64
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 3 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♛♙♕♟
♗♝
♘
♙♙♙♝♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1026 · solved 1,143 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc1

Solution: Qe3+ → Kb1 → Qe1+ → Nd1 → Qxd1#

♜♝♛♚
♟♟
♟♟
♟♙♟
♙♟
♙♕♙
♙♙♝♗♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1149 · solved 1,108 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd2

Solution: Qf7+ → Kh8 → Qf8+ → Qxf8 → Rxf8#

♜♚♜
♝♛♟♞♟
♟♟♙♟
♘♟♕♙♙
♙
♙♙♙
♔♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1184 · solved 1,378 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Qxc2+ → Ka1 → Qc1+ → Rxc1 → Rxc1#

♜♞♝♜
♟♟♛♟♞♟
♘♟♚♟
♘
♗♙
♙♝♗♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1312 · solved 965 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxf6

Solution: Ng4+ → Kg7 → Bh6+ → Kh8 → Nf7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟♟♞
♝
♘♙
♙♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1316 · solved 3,123 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Na4

Solution: Bf2+ → Ke2 → Ba6+ → c4 → Bxc4#

♜♛♞♜♚
♟♟♘♝♟
♟♞♟♕♟
♗
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1491 · solved 1,433 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg8

Solution: Nh6+ → Kh8 → Qg8+ → Rxg8 → Nf7#

♜♞♜♚
♟♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♘♖
♙
♘♟
♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1527 · solved 1,060 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe3

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh1#

♜♜♚
♟♝♟♛♟
♟♟
♘♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1762 · solved 929 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qf1+ → Rxf1 → Rxf1#

♜♞
♟♝♚♟♕
♟♟
♘♝♗
♗♟
♙♙♙♛♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1802 · solved 897 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc1

Solution: Qd2+ → Kb1 → Qd1+ → Rxd1 → Rxd1#

♜♛♜
♟♟♟♝♚
♞♗♟
♟♟
♙♙
♔♘
♙♙
♖♘♕
White to move · rating 1875 · solved 738 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh7

Solution: Ng5+ → Kh8 → Qh1+ → Bh6 → Qxh6#

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♝♞
♘
♙
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
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 2014 · solved 342 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh8

Solution: Bxg7+ → Kxg7 → Qh6+ → Kh8 → Qf6#

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 / f7AttractionDefensive move

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 3 puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level