Trapped Piece Chess Puzzles — Rated 1800

10 trapped pieces rated between 1800 and 1999, averaging 1857. 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 1800-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1800 is one that players around 1800 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 1800

  1. Trapped Piece puzzle 1, rated 1825h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1825 · Black to play after Nf3
    Show solution

    Rf7 Qxf7+ Kxf7

  2. Trapped Piece puzzle 2, rated 1895h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1895 · Black to play after Nge2
    Show solution

    Be7 Qxe6 fxe6

  3. Trapped Piece puzzle 3, rated 1890h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1890 · Black to play after Nge2
    Show solution

    Bc5 Qa5 Ra8 Qxa8 Rxa8

  4. Trapped Piece puzzle 4, rated 1829a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1829 · White to play after f5
    Show solution

    c4 fxe4 cxd5

  5. Trapped Piece puzzle 5, rated 1800a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1800 · White to play after fxe6
    Show solution

    Nc4 axb5 Nxb6

  6. Trapped Piece puzzle 6, rated 1820a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1820 · White to play after b5
    Show solution

    Kc2 Rxd3 Kxd3

  7. Trapped Piece puzzle 7, rated 1906h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1906 · Black to play after Bxd5+
    Show solution

    cxd5 fxg4 hxg5

  8. Trapped Piece puzzle 8, rated 1886a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1886 · White to play after Kd8
    Show solution

    Rcxc7 Rxb7 Rxb7 Rb8 Rxb8+

  9. Trapped Piece puzzle 9, rated 1812h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1812 · Black to play after Rd4
    Show solution

    Ra6 Qxa6 bxa6

  10. Trapped Piece puzzle 10, rated 1910a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1910 · White to play after b4+
    Show solution

    Kb3 bxa3 Kxa4 axb2 Re1

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 1800 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1800 is one that players rated around 1800 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1857, so they suit 1800-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.