10 trapped pieces rated between 1200 and 1399, averaging 1309. 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 1200-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1200 is one that players around 1200 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.
Rh4 Qxh4 gxh4
Bg5 Qxg5 Nxg5
Rxf7 Qd6 Rxf8+ Kc7 Rxa8
axb4 Nxf3+ Bxf3
Ng5+ Ke2 Nf7 Qxg8+ Kxg8
Ra1 Qa5 Rxa5
Rxe1+ Kxh2 R8e2 Qxe1 Rxe1
Rh8 Qxh8+ Qxh8
d5+ Kxd5 b7 Bxb7+ Kxb7
Nd7+ Ke8 Nb6 Rxc7 Rxc7
Train trapped piece puzzles at your rating →
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.
Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1200 is one that players rated around 1200 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1309, so they suit 1200-rated players.
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.