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Sacrifice Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1804 · solved 11,728,644 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These sacrifice puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 4,231 puzzles, median rating 1804, solved 11,728,644 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 sacrifice puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

sacrifice puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 4,231 sacrifice puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 11,728,644 times in total. The median rating is 1804.

How hard are they?

Foundation
510 · 12.1%
Developing
885 · 20.9%
Challenging
1,422 · 33.6%
Advanced
1,414 · 33.4%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 3,532Checkmate · 1,487Kingside attack · 1,237Attraction · 1,153Mate in 2 · 961Fork · 746Opening tactics · 668Discovered attack · 458Pin · 447

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 4,231

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical sacrifice solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 sacrifice puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (47.3% of all 4,231).

35.2% need 2 solver moves, 47.7% need 3 solver moves, 12.8% need 4 solver moves, 4.4% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1592 for the shortest solutions, 2377 for the longest.

29.8% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 62.7% and gives check in 58.9%; 33.5% end in checkmate, 82.4% involve a sacrifice, 72.5% have White to move.

62.7%first move captures
58.9%first move gives check
33.5%end in checkmate
82.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
35.2% · median rating 1592
3 solver moves
47.7% · median rating 1855
4 solver moves
12.8% · median rating 2144
5+ solver moves
4.4% · median rating 2377

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
29.8%
Key move by a queen
27%
Key move by a rook
24%
Key move by a bishop
15.6%
Key move by a pawn
2.8%
Key move by the king
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
29.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
28.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.5%
Most valuable capture: knight
11.1%
Captures nothing along the line
10.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9%

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)
62.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
16%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
13.1%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.1%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
17.4%
21–27 pieces
80%
13–20 pieces
2.6%
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 (9.5%), f6 (9.3%), h7 (8.1%), c6 (7.8%), g6 (5.3%).

3.31.31.22.28
1.22.32.99.54.48.17
7.81.95.19.35.32.26
1.84.31.72.11.61.55
1.131.61.24
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♛♞♞♗♟
♟♙
♘
♙♙♕♙♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 977 · solved 1,299 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe5

Solution: Qd8+ → Rxd8 → Rxd8#

♜♞♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♝♙♕
♙♟♘♞
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1058 · solved 1,227 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf4

Solution: Nf6+ → gxf6 → Qxh7#

♜♞♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♙♞
♙♟
♙♘
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1170 · solved 1,024 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Ng3+ → hxg3 → hxg3+ → Nh2 → Rxh2#

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟
♟
♝♟♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔
Black to move · rating 1216 · solved 1,150 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf5

Solution: Rxh2+ → Kxh2 → Qh4#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♝♟
♗
♘
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1418 · solved 2,467 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg6

Solution: Rxc6+ → bxc6 → Ba6#

♜♛♚♝♞
♟♟♟
♟♞♙
♟♟
♙
♗♜
♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1430 · solved 1,873 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxh3

Solution: Rxf8+ → Kxf8 → Qf1+ → Qf6 → Qxh3

♜
♟♞♟♚
♟♞♛♟♟♜
♟♘
♙
♘♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1587 · solved 1,323 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxh6

Solution: Qxh6+ → Kxh6 → Nxf7+ → Kg7 → Nxd6

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♗♟
♙
♙♛
♞♗♕
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1725 · solved 1,365 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd4

Solution: Qxc6+ → bxc6 → Ba6#

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

Opponent's last move: Rae8

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♛♘
♝♙
♙♞♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔
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

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 attackPin

Same theme, other levels

Sacrifice puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level