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Opening tactics Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2199 · solved 58,898,039 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are opening tactics puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 31,964 puzzles, median rating 2199, solved 58,898,039 times. The twelve below are among the most-solved of them; try each on the board, then read the numbers further down to see how solutions at this level are built.

All opening tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 31,964 opening tactics puzzles at advanced level, solved 58,898,039 times in total. The median rating is 2199.

Often combined with

Sacrifice · 4,696Fork · 3,899Kingside attack · 3,163Defensive move · 3,160Pin · 2,719Discovered attack · 2,328Attraction · 2,235Hanging piece · 1,711

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 4,476French Defence · 2,118Italian Game · 2,110Scandinavian Defense · 1,418Caro–Kann Defence · 1,388Queen's Pawn Game · 1,378Queen's Gambit Declined · 990Ruy Lopez · 988

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical opening tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 opening tactics puzzles at advanced level (6.3% of all 31,964).

41.6% need 2 solver moves, 43.2% need 3 solver moves, 11% need 4 solver moves, 4% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2165 for the shortest solutions, 2390 for the longest.

25.6% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 53.8% and gives check in 28.9%; 2.9% end in checkmate, 24.2% involve a sacrifice, 56.8% have White to move.

53.8%first move captures
28.9%first move gives check
2.9%end in checkmate
24.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
41.6% · median rating 2165
3 solver moves
43.2% · median rating 2213
4 solver moves
11% · median rating 2294
5+ solver moves
4% · median rating 2390

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
25.6%
Key move by a knight
24.8%
Key move by a queen
24.6%
Key move by a pawn
14.4%
Key move by a rook
6.8%
Key move by the king
3.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
27.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
24%
Most valuable capture: bishop
19.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
12%
Most valuable capture: rook
8.8%
Captures nothing along the line
8.4%

Material balance along the whole line, counting every capture by both sides (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9):

No material gained (mating or positional)
28.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
35.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
14.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
47.5%
21–27 pieces
52.4%
13–20 pieces
0%
12 pieces or fewer
0%

How it is counted: every puzzle in the sample is replayed move by move with a chess rules engine. A sacrifice means a piece that is captured on the very next ply and was worth more than what it captured itself (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9). Sample of 2,000 puzzles. Percentages are shares of the sample.

Where it happens

Where the key move lands

Where the solver’s first move ends, drawn from their own side (rank 1 is their back rank). Busiest squares: f7 (6.2%), d5 (5.5%), e5 (5.5%), h5 (4.5%), f6 (4.3%).

11.38
1.96.213.47
2.62.32.24.31.21.56
3.41.15.55.51.644.55
1.51.82.44.24.32.12.914
1.51.91.12.31.13
111.51.62.12
1
abcdefgh

Counted from the same 2,000-puzzle sample. Squares under 1% are left blank.

Study positions

The most-solved opening tactics puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♝♞
♘
♙
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 2011 · solved 763 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg6

Solution: Qh3+ → Nh4 → Qxh4+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♝♟
♟♘
♙
♗♞
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2012 · solved 621 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg3

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kh8 → hxg3

♜♛♚♜
♟♝♟♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♘
♝♙
♙♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♔♗♘♖
Black to move · rating 2029 · solved 631 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Qh4+ → g3 → Qxg3#

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♛♟
♟♘♕
♞
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 2039 · solved 562 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: Nxf7 → g6 → Bxg6

♜♞♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟♞
♟
♙♝♝
♙♗
♙♙♘♘♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2092 · solved 603 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf4

Solution: Qa4+ → Nc6 → Nxf4

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♗♟
♞
♟♘
♞♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
White to move · rating 2093 · solved 575 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d5

Solution: Nh6#

♜♞♝♛♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♚♞
♟♕
♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 2094 · solved 639 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Ng5+ → Kd6 → Nf7+ → Kc7 → Qxc5+ → Nc6 → Nxd8

♚♜♝♜
♟♛♟♟♟
♗
♙♟
♝
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2129 · solved 662 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ba6+

Solution: Kb8 → Qb3+ → Ka8

♜♛♜♚
♟♞♟♟
♟♝♝♞
♟♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2135 · solved 546 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6

Solution: Qxe6+ → Kh8 → Qxd6

♜♞♛♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♘
♙♞
♟
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♗♕♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2224 · solved 546 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc5

Solution: Qf6 → Nf4 → Qxf4 → Qf3 → Bxf3

♜♞♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙♙
♗♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2236 · solved 613 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg8

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Qh5+ → Kg8 → g6 → Rf5 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8#

♜♞♜♚
♟♛♟♟♗
♝♟♞♟
♟♟♙
♙♙♘♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 2474 · solved 589 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh7+

Solution: Kxh7 → Ng5+ → Kg8 → Qc2 → g6

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

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