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Checkmate Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 926 · solved 23,704,544 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These checkmate puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 25,856 puzzles, median rating 926, solved 23,704,544 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 checkmate puzzles Print a worksheet About the Caro–Kann Defence

By the numbers

checkmate puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 25,856 checkmate puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 23,704,544 times in total. The median rating is 926.

How hard are they?

Foundation
20,534 · 79.4%
Developing
3,945 · 15.3%
Challenging
1,154 · 4.5%
Advanced
223 · 0.9%

Often combined with

Mate in 1 · 19,942Middlegame tactics · 19,621Kingside attack · 7,792Opening tactics · 5,946Mate in 2 · 4,969Attacks on f2 / f7 · 1,886Sacrifice · 1,487Queenside attack · 1,016Smothered mate · 909Pin · 845

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 25,856

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical checkmate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 checkmate puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (7.7% of all 25,856).

76.4% need 1 solver move, 20.2% need 2 solver moves, 3% need 3 solver moves. Median rating: 861 for the shortest solutions, 1413 for the longest.

69.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 47.4% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 8% involve a sacrifice, 66% have White to move.

47.4%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
76.4% · median rating 861
2 solver moves
20.2% · median rating 1140
3 solver moves
3% · median rating 1413

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
69.6%
Key move by a knight
14.1%
Key move by a bishop
9.5%
Key move by a rook
6.2%
Key move by a pawn
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
45.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
39.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
5.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3%
Most valuable capture: queen
2.1%

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)
52%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
37.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
5%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
4.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
21.7%
21–27 pieces
75.1%
13–20 pieces
3.2%
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 (25.4%), f7 (14.7%), g7 (5.9%), g6 (5.8%), e6 (5.4%).

24.23.71.81.78
2.61.71.814.75.925.47
1.81.44.25.445.82.26
2.15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♗
♟♝♟
♘
♙♞
♙♕♛
♙♙♗♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 981 · solved 4,248 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qg2#

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♞♟♟
♕
♟♘
♗♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1096 · solved 2,432 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Nf6+ → Kf8 → Qh6#

♜♞♝♛♜
♚♗♟
♟♝♞♟
♟♟
♟
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1178 · solved 17,356 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd6

Solution: Qe3+ → Bc5 → Qxc5+ → Kb7 → Qb6#

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♗♙♟
♝
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1259 · solved 2,801 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: f7#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♟♙♛
♙♙♙
♙♙♘♕♙
♖♖♔
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 1341 · solved 2,837 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne8

Solution: Qf7#

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

Opponent's last move: Nxg7

Solution: Rh6+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♞♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♟
♙♕
♙♙
♙♗♔♙♙
♛
White to move · rating 1629 · solved 1,531 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxh1

Solution: Qc8+ → Ke7 → Bb4+ → c5 → Bxc5+ → Kf6 → Qf5#

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♝♟♟
♟♝♟♟
♙
♙♙♗
♛♗♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1786 · solved 1,575 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc3

Solution: Qxc6+ → bxc6 → Ba6#

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟
♝♞
♕♗♗♛♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1960 · solved 1,556 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg4

Solution: Qxc6+ → bxc6 → Ba6#

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♛♘
♞
♘♖♙♟
♙
♙♙♙♙
♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2005 · solved 541 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Nxb7+ → Ke8 → Qd8#

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟♟
♞
♗♙♘
♗
♙♙♙♙♙♔
♖♕♖
Black to move · rating 2297 · solved 885 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh2

Solution: Qh4+ → Kg1 → Qh1+ → Kxh1 → Ng3+ → Kg1 → Rh1#

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 tacticsOpening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Checkmate puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level