Hanging piece puzzles
One of the opponent's pieces is undefended or insufficiently defended, and you can take it.
About hanging piece puzzles
One of the opponent's pieces is undefended or insufficiently defended, and you can take it. Easy to describe, easy to miss in a busy position.
How to spot it
- Before every move, list the opponent's undefended pieces. Do not trust a quick glance.
- Check whether the capture is safe: what can the opponent take back?
- Count attackers and defenders on a piece. If you have more attackers, it hangs.
A common mistake
Capturing a piece that is defended. Count attackers and defenders first.
A worked example
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KRWhite to move. Black has just played Kf8. Find the best move.
Solution: 15. Qxd8#
Qxd8# attacks the bishop on c8 and the pawn on c7. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: One of the opponent's pieces is undefended or insufficiently defended, and you can take it.
The highlighted squares show Black's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (884 rating).
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Questions
How do I avoid leaving pieces hanging?
Make a habit of checking that every piece is defended after your move, and look at what your opponent threatens before you play.
Where do these puzzles come from?
They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.
Are the puzzles free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.