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Pin Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1516 · solved 10,323,488 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These pin puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 4,361 puzzles, median rating 1516, solved 10,323,488 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.

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By the numbers

pin puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 4,361 pin puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 10,323,488 times in total. The median rating is 1516.

How hard are they?

Foundation
1,037 · 23.8%
Developing
1,422 · 32.6%
Challenging
1,012 · 23.2%
Advanced
890 · 20.4%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 3,292Opening tactics · 1,044Checkmate · 845Mate in 1 · 640Sacrifice · 447Kingside attack · 363Smothered mate · 318

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 4,361

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical pin solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 pin puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (45.9% of all 4,361).

14.8% need 1 solver move, 53% need 2 solver moves, 24.8% need 3 solver moves, 6% need 4 solver moves, 1.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1218 for the shortest solutions, 2414 for the longest.

32% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 37.9% and gives check in 45.8%; 19.3% end in checkmate, 30.2% involve a sacrifice, 65.6% have White to move.

37.9%first move captures
45.8%first move gives check
19.3%end in checkmate
30.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
14.8% · median rating 1218
2 solver moves
53% · median rating 1418
3 solver moves
24.8% · median rating 1852
4 solver moves
6% · median rating 2196
5+ solver moves
1.6% · median rating 2414

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
32%
Key move by a bishop
30.8%
Key move by a queen
20.2%
Key move by a rook
13%
Key move by a pawn
3.4%
Key move by the king
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
43.1%
Captures nothing along the line
16.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.7%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8.8%

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
12.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
21.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
23.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
16.1%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
22.6%
21–27 pieces
74.2%
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: b5 (9.8%), d6 (9.3%), f6 (7.7%), c4 (5.3%), g6 (5%).

1.21.48
1.31.63.61.21.17
11.22.29.34.17.753.36
9.84.52.73.41.72.45
2.45.31.11.71.324
1.43
2
1.21
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♙♞♟
♙♙
♕♗♘
♙♛♙♙
♖♘♔♖
Black to move · rating 1110 · solved 2,326 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc3

Solution: Bb4 → Qxb4 → Qxb4+

♜♞♗♚♜
♟♟
♟♟
♝♙
♞
♙♙♕♙♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1142 · solved 1,263 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd8

Solution: Ng3#

♜♝♛♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♕♙♙
♖♗♔♗♘♖
White to move · rating 1152 · solved 1,527 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nbd7

Solution: Nd6#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♟♙♛
♙♙♙
♙♙♘♕♙
♖♖♔
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 1332 · solved 1,612 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kb8

Solution: Bf4 → Qxf4 → Nxf4

♜♝♛♜♞♚
♟♟♞♟
♟♟♟
♙
♕
♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
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

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♝
♙♘♘
♙♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♗♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1390 · solved 1,667 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd5

Solution: Nd6#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♛
♗♝
♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1623 · solved 421 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd4

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Re8#

♜♞♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♕
♗♙♛♝
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1779 · solved 600 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg4

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Re8#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♞
♝♕
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1918 · solved 308 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Re8#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♞
♟♞
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2087 · solved 470 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng4

Solution: Qxg4 → d3+ → Be3 → Nxg4 → Bxb6+

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟
♟♟♟♟
♞♘
♙♕
♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
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 tacticsKingside attackForkMate in 2Discovered attackSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Pin puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level