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Discovered attack Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1373 · solved 12,249,270 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These discovered attack puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 4,721 puzzles, median rating 1373, solved 12,249,270 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 the solutions are built.

All discovered attack puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

discovered attack puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 4,721 discovered attack puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 12,249,270 times in total. The median rating is 1373.

How hard are they?

Foundation
1,669 · 35.4%
Developing
1,451 · 30.7%
Challenging
980 · 20.8%
Advanced
621 · 13.2%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 3,735Kingside attack · 1,142Opening tactics · 962Discovered check · 667Sacrifice · 458Checkmate · 333Pin · 273Mate in 2 · 242

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 4,721

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical discovered attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 discovered attack puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (42.4% of all 4,721).

0.5% need 1 solver move, 70.8% need 2 solver moves, 22.8% need 3 solver moves, 5% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1061 for the shortest solutions, 2434 for the longest.

41.8% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 58% and gives check in 70.6%; 6.3% end in checkmate, 54.6% involve a sacrifice, 60.6% have White to move.

58%first move captures
70.6%first move gives check
6.3%end in checkmate
54.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
0.5% · median rating 1061
2 solver moves
70.8% · median rating 1218
3 solver moves
22.8% · median rating 1684
4 solver moves
5% · median rating 2135
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 2434

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
41.8%
Key move by a knight
39.6%
Key move by a pawn
7.6%
Key move by a queen
6.2%
Key move by a rook
4.3%
Key move by the king
0.5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
59%
Most valuable capture: knight
13%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.5%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
5.7%
Captures nothing along the line
1.3%

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)
6.9%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
10.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
43.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
11%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
19.1%
21–27 pieces
78.2%
13–20 pieces
2.8%
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: h7 (19.8%), f6 (12.3%), f7 (6.6%), g6 (5.8%), d6 (5.4%).

8
1.41.31.46.61.419.87
35.43.212.35.81.66
4.31.14.83.41.82.35
11.82.42.31.44
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♝♕♝♜
♟♟♞♚♟
♟♞♟
♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1083 · solved 2,869 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f4

Solution: Bc5+ → Kh1 → Rxd8

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♞
♜
♟
♙♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1123 · solved 1,675 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc4

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qxd6

♜♝♜♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♞
♗
♙♛
♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1151 · solved 1,556 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Bxh7+ → Nxh7 → Qxd4

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♙♞
♛♝♕♗
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1261 · solved 2,044 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e6

Solution: Bxf2+ → Rxf2 → Qxd5

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♛♞♟♟
♘♟♙♞
♙
♕♗♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1301 · solved 1,209 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a6

Solution: Nd6+ → Nxd6 → Qxb6

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟
♙♙♟♗♝
♛♘♟
♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1340 · solved 1,965 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd4

Solution: Nd6+ → Bxd6 → Qxc8#

♜♞♝♜♚
♟♟♞♛♟
♟♗♗
♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1519 · solved 1,899 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe7

Solution: Bg5#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝
♕♞♛
♞♗
♙
♙♙♘♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1601 · solved 2,112 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd2

Solution: Nf3+ → gxf3 → Qxd5

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♞♘♟
♙
♙
♙♟♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1611 · solved 655 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd6+

Solution: Qxd6 → exd6 → e2+

♜♝♕
♟♝♚
♟♛♟
♟
♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1628 · solved 589 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe4

Solution: Bc5+ → Kh1 → Rxh8 → Rxf6+ → Kxf6

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♞
♟♞
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2087 · solved 470 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng4

Solution: Qxg4 → d3+ → Be3 → Nxg4 → Bxb6+

♜♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟
♞♟♟♝
♙♗♟
♛♘♕♙
♗♞
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2276 · solved 377 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg3

Solution: Nd6+ → Bxd6 → Qxd4

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

Same opening, other tactics

More puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateMate in 1Opening tacticsKingside attackForkMate in 2PinSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Discovered attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level