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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1263 · solved 34,905,198 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 15,866 puzzles, median rating 1263, solved 34,905,198 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 opening tactics puzzles Print a worksheet About the Caro–Kann Defence

By the numbers

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

There are 15,866 opening tactics puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 34,905,198 times in total. The median rating is 1263.

How hard are they?

Foundation
7,147 · 45%
Developing
4,446 · 28%
Challenging
2,885 · 18.2%
Advanced
1,388 · 8.7%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 5,946Mate in 1 · 5,027Fork · 2,911Kingside attack · 1,477Attacks on f2 / f7 · 1,263Pin · 1,044Discovered attack · 962Mate in 2 · 821

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 15,866

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical opening tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 opening tactics puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (12.6% of all 15,866).

32.6% need 1 solver move, 48.2% need 2 solver moves, 16.4% need 3 solver moves, 2.3% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 894 for the shortest solutions, 1977 for the longest.

45% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 48.4% and gives check in 66.6%; 37.8% end in checkmate, 13.6% involve a sacrifice, 59.9% have White to move.

48.4%first move captures
66.6%first move gives check
37.8%end in checkmate
13.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
32.6% · median rating 894
2 solver moves
48.2% · median rating 1341
3 solver moves
16.4% · median rating 1692
4 solver moves
2.3% · median rating 1977

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
45%
Key move by a knight
23.7%
Key move by a bishop
21.7%
Key move by a pawn
5.8%
Key move by a rook
3.2%
Key move by the king
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
22%
Captures nothing along the line
21.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
17.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
14.9%
Most valuable capture: rook
6.8%

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)
26.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
20.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
34.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
12.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
54.1%
21–27 pieces
45.9%
13–20 pieces
0%
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: f7 (11.9%), a4 (9.7%), h7 (7.1%), f6 (6.5%), d6 (5.8%).

1.32.98
1.71.11.311.91.77.17
2.85.846.55.26
41.93.21.31.14.15
9.71.41.43.11.41.21.44
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved opening tactics 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

♜♞♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♙
♝
♙♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1157 · solved 2,004 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe5

Solution: Qxd1+ → Kxd1 → Bxf3+

♜♞♝♞♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟
♟
♙♗
♙
♝♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♗♘♖
White to move · rating 1197 · solved 2,145 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc3

Solution: Bd8#

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♘♝
♞♕
♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♗♙
♖♘♗♔♖
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

♜♝♛♜♞♚
♟♟♞♟
♟♟♟
♙
♕
♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1358 · solved 2,796 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne7

Solution: Bxh6 → Nf5 → Bxf5

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟♟
♞
♗♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♘♖
Black to move · rating 1472 · solved 3,167 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc5

Solution: Qa5+ → Bd2 → Qxb5 → Qxb5 → Bxb5

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♙♟
♛
♔♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♗♖
Black to move · rating 1486 · solved 2,387 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc3

Solution: Qb4#

♜♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♗♘♛
♙
♕♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1605 · solved 1,198 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d4

Solution: Qxd5 → Qxd5 → Rxd5 → Bxc6+ → bxc6

♜♛♚♝♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟♙♟
♞♘
♗♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1648 · solved 1,177 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qf7+ → Bxf7 → gxf7#

♜♞♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♝♟
♟♞♟
♘
♙
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1667 · solved 1,653 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: Nxf7 → Kxf7 → Bg6+

♜♞♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟♞
♟
♙♝♝
♙♗
♙♙♘♘♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2092 · solved 603 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf4

Solution: Qa4+ → Nc6 → Nxf4

♜♛♜♚
♟♞♟♟
♟♝♝♞
♟♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2135 · solved 546 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6

Solution: Qxe6+ → Kh8 → Qxd6

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 tacticsCheckmateFork

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level