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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1335 · solved 92,011,640 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 52,850 puzzles, median rating 1335, solved 92,011,640 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 middlegame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet About the Caro–Kann Defence

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 52,850 middlegame tactics puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 92,011,640 times in total. The median rating is 1335.

How hard are they?

Foundation
22,274 · 42.1%
Developing
12,688 · 24%
Challenging
10,497 · 19.9%
Advanced
7,391 · 14%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 19,621Mate in 1 · 14,762Kingside attack · 9,436Fork · 6,329Mate in 2 · 4,031Discovered attack · 3,735Sacrifice · 3,532Pin · 3,292

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 52,850

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical middlegame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 middlegame tactics puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (3.8% of all 52,850).

26.9% need 1 solver move, 49.4% need 2 solver moves, 19.8% need 3 solver moves, 3% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 847 for the shortest solutions, 2362 for the longest.

41.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.6% and gives check in 58.8%; 36.6% end in checkmate, 21% involve a sacrifice, 62.1% have White to move.

53.6%first move captures
58.8%first move gives check
36.6%end in checkmate
21%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.9% · median rating 847
2 solver moves
49.4% · median rating 1411
3 solver moves
19.8% · median rating 1792
4 solver moves
3% · median rating 2184
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2362

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
41.2%
Key move by a knight
20.8%
Key move by a bishop
19.4%
Key move by a rook
10.8%
Key move by a pawn
6.9%
Key move by the king
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
19%
Captures nothing along the line
17.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.1%

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)
26.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
22.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26.3%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
17.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
15.4%
21–27 pieces
81.9%
13–20 pieces
2.7%
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 (13%), f7 (5.9%), f6 (4.5%), e5 (3.9%), e6 (3.6%).

1.222.51.11.18
1.21.722.45.93.5137
1.42.92.93.64.52.72.26
32.93.92.21.51.45
2.31.51.72.32.22.21.64
13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved middlegame tactics 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 1159 · solved 2,756 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Nc7+ → Kf7 → Nxd5

♜♞♝♛♜
♚♗♟
♟♝♞♟
♟♟
♟
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
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 1209 · solved 4,469 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc3+

Solution: Bd2 → Qe5+ → Be2 → O-O → Qxc6

♚♜♝♞♜
♟♛♟
♞♕♟♝
♘♟
♙♟♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1260 · solved 4,217 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Bf4+ → Bd6 → Bxd6+ → Qxd6 → Nxd6

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♟♙♛
♙♙♙
♙♙♘♕♙
♖♖♔
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 1443 · solved 2,952 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg7

Solution: Rh6+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝
♕♞♛
♞♗
♙
♙♙♘♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
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

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♝♟♟
♟♝♟♟
♙
♙♙♗
♛♗♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
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#

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟
♞♟♕♞
♝♘
♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2031 · solved 503 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rae8

Solution: Ng6+ → hxg6 → Qh3+ → Kg8 → Bxc7

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

CheckmateOpening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level