Trapped Piece Chess Puzzles — Rated 1000

10 trapped pieces rated between 1000 and 1199, averaging 1135. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.

A trapped piece has no safe squares. It does not have to be attacked yet — the winning technique is to take away its escape squares first, then attack it with something it cannot trade with. Knights on the rim and queens that raided too early are the usual victims.

These are pitched at 1000-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1000 is one that players around 1000 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.

Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.

Trapped Piece puzzles rated 1000

  1. Trapped Piece puzzle 1, rated 1184h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1184 · Black to play after Nxd8+
    Show solution

    Rxg7 Nxc6 Kxc6

  2. Trapped Piece puzzle 2, rated 1125a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1125 · White to play after Qxa1
    Show solution

    Bb2 Qxb2 Qxb2

  3. Trapped Piece puzzle 3, rated 1167a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1167 · White to play after Qf6
    Show solution

    Bg5 Qxf5 Rxf5

  4. Trapped Piece puzzle 4, rated 1140h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1140 · Black to play after fxe4
    Show solution

    Nxe3 Nb3 Nxd1

  5. Trapped Piece puzzle 5, rated 1182h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1182 · Black to play after hxg4
    Show solution

    Rh6 Qxh6 gxh6

  6. Trapped Piece puzzle 6, rated 1076h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1076 · Black to play after Nh6+
    Show solution

    Kg7 Nf5+ Qxf5 Qxf5 gxf5

  7. Trapped Piece puzzle 7, rated 1171a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1171 · White to play after Qa5
    Show solution

    Qxb7 O-O Qxa8

  8. Trapped Piece puzzle 8, rated 1078a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1078 · White to play after Qxc3+
    Show solution

    Bd2 Qxc4 dxc4

  9. Trapped Piece puzzle 9, rated 1085a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1085 · White to play after Rg4
    Show solution

    Kf3 Rd4 Bxd4

  10. Trapped Piece puzzle 10, rated 1140a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1140 · White to play after Kf3
    Show solution

    Kc6 Rxb6+ Kxb6

Train trapped piece puzzles at your rating →

Related puzzle sets

Frequently asked questions

What is a trapped piece in chess?

A trapped piece has no safe squares. It does not have to be attacked yet — the winning technique is to take away its escape squares first, then attack it with something it cannot trade with. Knights on the rim and queens that raided too early are the usual victims.

What does a puzzle rating of 1000 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1000 is one that players rated around 1000 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1135, so they suit 1000-rated players.

Are these trapped piece puzzles free?

Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.