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Pin Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1568 · solved 34,504,343 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These pin puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 12,679 puzzles, median rating 1568, solved 34,504,343 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 pin puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

pin puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 12,679 pin puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 34,504,343 times in total. The median rating is 1568.

How hard are they?

Foundation
2,848 · 22.5%
Developing
3,818 · 30.1%
Challenging
3,365 · 26.5%
Advanced
2,648 · 20.9%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 10,046Opening tactics · 2,544Checkmate · 1,756Kingside attack · 1,599Sacrifice · 1,350Mate in 1 · 1,069Discovered attack · 772

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 12,679

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical pin solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 pin puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (15.8% of all 12,679).

8.2% need 1 solver move, 59% need 2 solver moves, 25.6% need 3 solver moves, 5.1% need 4 solver moves, 2.1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1227 for the shortest solutions, 2446 for the longest.

35.6% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 39.4% and gives check in 39.2%; 13.8% end in checkmate, 34% involve a sacrifice, 59% have White to move.

39.4%first move captures
39.2%first move gives check
13.8%end in checkmate
34%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
8.2% · median rating 1227
2 solver moves
59% · median rating 1401
3 solver moves
25.6% · median rating 1827
4 solver moves
5.1% · median rating 2211
5+ solver moves
2.1% · median rating 2446

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
35.6%
Key move by a knight
26.6%
Key move by a queen
19.1%
Key move by a rook
12.8%
Key move by a pawn
5.1%
Key move by the king
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
49.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
12.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.2%
Captures nothing along the line
9.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
8.6%

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)
19%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
15%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
18.7%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
28%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
19.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
19%
21–27 pieces
77.6%
13–20 pieces
3.4%
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: f6 (9.3%), c4 (7.2%), b5 (6.9%), g6 (5.7%), d5 (5.5%).

1.11.11.68
1.61.441.31.27
2.21.95.33.79.35.73.46
6.915.52.82.622.85
1.27.21.51.14.14
3.53
2
1.61
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♝♚
♟♟♛♜♟
♕
♙♙♙♙♝
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 996 · solved 1,480 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf7

Solution: Re8+ → Kh7 → Qh5#

♜♚
♟♟♟
♛♝♟♟♜
♟♞
♙♙
♙♝♘
♙♘♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1003 · solved 2,046 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Ng3#

♘♞♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♛♝♟
♟
♙
♘♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1151 · solved 1,558 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe3

Solution: Bg5 → Qxg5 → hxg5

♜♜
♞♚♟♟
♟♛♟♟
♟♝
♘♙
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1311 · solved 2,131 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rhd8

Solution: Nf5+ → Kf8 → Nxd6

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♝♘♟
♞♗
♛♞
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
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 1383 · solved 3,151 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg7

Solution: Nc5+ → Kc7 → Nxe4

♜♚
♟♛♝♟♟
♟♟♞♟
♟♝
♙♗
♘♕
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1386 · solved 4,676 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh5

Solution: Bxf6 → Bxf6 → Bxh5

♜♚♜
♟♛♟♟
♟♟♟♝
♕♟
♙
♘
♙♙♙♖♙♙♙
♔♖
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 1738 · solved 851 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc4

Solution: Bxc4 → Qxc4 → Rxa1+

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟♙
♛
♘♙♝
♙♙♘♖♙
♖♗♕♔
Black to move · rating 1935 · solved 841 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nbc3

Solution: Qg2#

♜♘♜
♟♟♕♟♟
♚♟
♟♙
♞♞♙♛
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 2027 · solved 554 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d3

Solution: Ne2+ → Kh1 → N4g3+ → hxg3 → Qh5+ → Qh4 → Nxg3+

♜♞♝♛♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♚♞
♟♕
♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 2094 · solved 639 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Ng5+ → Kd6 → Nf7+ → Kc7 → Qxc5+ → Nc6 → Nxd8

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 attackMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Pin puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level