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Kingside attack Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1012 · solved 12,921,861 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These kingside attack puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 10,977 puzzles, median rating 1012, solved 12,921,861 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 kingside attack puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

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

There are 10,977 kingside attack puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 12,921,861 times in total. The median rating is 1012.

How hard are they?

Foundation
7,266 · 66.2%
Developing
1,879 · 17.1%
Challenging
1,015 · 9.2%
Advanced
817 · 7.4%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 9,436Checkmate · 7,792Mate in 1 · 5,312Mate in 2 · 2,087Opening tactics · 1,477Sacrifice · 1,237Discovered attack · 1,142Attraction · 582

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 10,977

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical kingside attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 kingside attack puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (18.2% of all 10,977).

49.8% need 1 solver move, 34.2% need 2 solver moves, 12.5% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.7% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 746 for the shortest solutions, 2408 for the longest.

60.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 79.2% and gives check in 92.6%; 71.4% end in checkmate, 25% involve a sacrifice, 58.2% have White to move.

79.2%first move captures
92.6%first move gives check
71.4%end in checkmate
25%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
49.8% · median rating 746
2 solver moves
34.2% · median rating 1167
3 solver moves
12.5% · median rating 1683
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 2124
5+ solver moves
0.7% · median rating 2408

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
60.6%
Key move by a knight
16.4%
Key move by a bishop
14.1%
Key move by a rook
7.8%
Key move by a pawn
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
55.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
12.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.4%
Captures nothing along the line
5.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
5.2%

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)
18.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
53.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
12.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
13.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
14.4%
21–27 pieces
84%
13–20 pieces
1.7%
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 (45.3%), g7 (11.9%), f6 (9.8%), f7 (5.4%), e8 (5.2%).

5.22.38
1.45.411.945.37
3.59.842.76
1.15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♝♟
♕
♙
♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1024 · solved 2,249 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc7

Solution: Rxe8+ → Rxe8 → Qxe8+

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♞
♜
♟
♙♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
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

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♟♙♛
♙♙♙
♙♙♘♕♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1285 · solved 3,329 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g3

Solution: Qxg3+ → Kh1 → Qxh3#

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♝♟♞♟
♟
♙♙♘
♙♞♘♙
♙♕♙♙
♗♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1394 · solved 1,420 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe3

Solution: Nxf6+ → gxf6 → Qh7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♞♟♞
♟♖
♟♙
♙
♙♕
♙♛♙♙
♖♘♔
White to move · rating 1443 · solved 2,952 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg7

Solution: Rh6+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♞♟♟
♟♟
♗♘♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1628 · solved 998 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc5

Solution: Qxh2#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♞♟
♝♟♘♟
♕
♙
♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1696 · solved 684 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne7

Solution: Nxe7+ → Rxe7 → Qg6

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟
♟♞♘
♘
♙♙♝♟
♙♙♕♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1864 · solved 1,188 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe6

Solution: Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qh4+ → Kg1 → Qh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♛♘
♝♙
♙♞♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔
White to move · rating 2077 · solved 409 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc3

Solution: Rxg7+ → Kxg7 → Qg4+ → Kh8 → Bh6 → Qxe5 → dxe5

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟
♟♟♟♟
♞♘
♙♕
♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2315 · solved 252 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh6

Solution: Qg4+ → Bg5 → Rxh6

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 tacticsForkMate in 2Discovered attackPinSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Kingside attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelFoundation levelDeveloping level