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Fork Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1342 · solved 26,239,882 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These fork puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 9,310 puzzles, median rating 1342, solved 26,239,882 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 fork puzzles Print a worksheet About the Caro–Kann Defence

By the numbers

fork puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 9,310 fork puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 26,239,882 times in total. The median rating is 1342.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,528 · 37.9%
Developing
2,878 · 30.9%
Challenging
1,881 · 20.2%
Advanced
1,023 · 11%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 6,329Opening tactics · 2,911Sacrifice · 746Attraction · 539Exposed king · 309Pin · 295Checkmate · 257Deflection · 235

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 9,310

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical fork solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 fork puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (21.5% of all 9,310).

63.3% need 2 solver moves, 29.8% need 3 solver moves, 5.6% need 4 solver moves, 1.3% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1171 for the shortest solutions, 2315 for the longest.

47% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 37.7% and gives check in 68%; 2.8% end in checkmate, 15.4% involve a sacrifice, 50.6% have White to move.

37.7%first move captures
68%first move gives check
2.8%end in checkmate
15.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
63.3% · median rating 1171
3 solver moves
29.8% · median rating 1678
4 solver moves
5.6% · median rating 2051
5+ solver moves
1.3% · median rating 2315

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
47%
Key move by a knight
25.6%
Key move by a bishop
13.6%
Key move by a pawn
8%
Key move by a rook
5.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
31%
Most valuable capture: bishop
30.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
18.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
16.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
2.2%
Captures nothing along the line
1.4%

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)
3.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8.3%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
49.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
24.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
14.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
28.2%
21–27 pieces
69.3%
13–20 pieces
2.5%
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: a4 (20.1%), b5 (6.3%), e5 (5.8%), d5 (4.7%), e6 (4.7%).

8
2.43.71.83.44.31.61.17
4.53.64.741.66
6.31.74.75.82.21.51.85
20.11.62.11.11.72.21.44
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜
♝♚♟
♛♟♞♜
♟♟♟
♟♙
♙♙♕♘
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 868 · solved 2,094 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh6

Solution: Nf5+ → Kd8 → Nxh6

♜♚♜
♟♟♞♝♟♟
♟♘♞
♛
♙
♕♙
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1159 · solved 2,756 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Nc7+ → Kf7 → Nxd5

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♞♝♟♟♟
♝
♗♟♘
♙♙
♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1159 · solved 2,117 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qa5+ → Bd2 → Qxb5

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♘♝
♞♕
♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♗♙
♖♘♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1271 · solved 2,545 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc6

Solution: Nd3+ → Ke2 → Nxe5 → Nxd8 → Rxd8

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟
♞♟
♗♙♙
♟♘♝
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1295 · solved 1,871 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Qa5+ → Qd2 → Qxb5

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟
♙♙♟♗♝
♛♘♟
♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
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 1430 · solved 1,873 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxh3

Solution: Rxf8+ → Kxf8 → Qf1+ → Qf6 → Qxh3

♜♜♚
♛♞♟
♟♝♟♟
♟♟
♙♘
♙♙
♙♙♕♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1633 · solved 963 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh6

Solution: Nf6+ → Kg7 → Nxd7

♜♚♜
♟♛♞♝♟
♟♝
♟♕♗♙
♙♟
♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1748 · solved 1,229 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc1

Solution: Rxg5 → Qxg5 → Bf4 → Qg7 → Bxc1

♘♛♚♜
♕♟♟♟
♟
♝♞♞
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1755 · solved 1,233 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxa8

Solution: Ne2+ → Kh1 → Nxf2+ → Rxf2 → Qd1+ → Ne1 → Qxe1+ → Rf1 → Qxf1#

♜♛♜♚
♟♞♟♟
♟♝♝♞
♟♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
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 2184 · solved 456 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Bxd5 → Bxd5 → Qa5+ → Nc3 → Nxd5

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 tacticsCheckmateOpening tactics

Same theme, other levels

Fork puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level