Statistical Visualization  / 

Where chess pieces are most often captured

Jun 2, 2021

Reddit user desfirsit made heatmaps to show where on the chess board pieces are usually captured. The top two rows are for black pieces, and the bottom row is for white pieces.

I’m no chess player, but this seems to look right? The frequency of captures appears to agree with movement patterns. Although I’m surprised that the queen, despite having the most freedom of movement, is often captured in the same place. But like I said, I’m no chess player.

You can grab the data from Lichess, which provides data for millions of chess games.

Chart Type Used

Heatmap

Become a member. Support an independent site. Get extra visualization goodness.

See What You Get

Favorites

Real Chart Rules to Follow

There are rules—usually for specific chart types meant to be read in a specific way—that you shouldn’t break. When they are, everyone loses. This is that small handful.

Defense Against Dishonest Charts

This is a guide to protect ourselves and to preserve what is good about turning data into visual things.

How People Like You Spend Their Time

Looking at American time use for various combinations of sex, age, and employment status, on weekdays and weekends.

Who We Spend Time with as We Get Older

In high school, we spend most of our days with friends and immediate family. But then we get jobs, start a family, retire, and there’s a shift in who we spend our days with.