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Kingside attack Puzzles from the English Opening

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1013 · solved 9,196,806 times

Opening: English Opening

These kingside attack puzzles were set in games that began as the English Opening: 7,208 puzzles, median rating 1013, solved 9,196,806 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 kingside attack puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

kingside attack puzzles from English Opening games: the numbers

There are 7,208 kingside attack puzzles from English Opening games, solved 9,196,806 times in total. The median rating is 1013.

How hard are they?

Foundation
4,691 · 65.1%
Developing
1,260 · 17.5%
Challenging
727 · 10.1%
Advanced
530 · 7.4%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 6,138Checkmate · 4,939Mate in 1 · 3,669Mate in 2 · 1,066Opening tactics · 1,044Discovered attack · 649Sacrifice · 608Attraction · 354

Which openings produce them?

English Opening · 7,208

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical kingside attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 kingside attack puzzles from English Opening games (27.7% of all 7,208).

53.2% need 1 solver move, 33.4% need 2 solver moves, 10.6% need 3 solver moves, 2.2% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 750 for the shortest solutions, 2220 for the longest.

63% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 83.4% and gives check in 92.5%; 70.1% end in checkmate, 18.7% involve a sacrifice, 58.9% have White to move.

83.4%first move captures
92.5%first move gives check
70.1%end in checkmate
18.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
53.2% · median rating 750
2 solver moves
33.4% · median rating 1212
3 solver moves
10.6% · median rating 1782
4 solver moves
2.2% · median rating 1937
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2220

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
63%
Key move by a knight
20.3%
Key move by a bishop
10.2%
Key move by a rook
5%
Key move by a pawn
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
53.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
11.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
11%
Most valuable capture: rook
9%
Captures nothing along the line
3.8%

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)
14.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
55%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
17.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
10.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
26.3%
21–27 pieces
72.7%
13–20 pieces
1%
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: g7 (27.9%), h7 (27%), f6 (14.1%), f7 (4.7%), e8 (4.5%).

4.51.81.18
2.34.727.9277
1.514.13.32.36
2.21.91.15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♚♝♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♙
♙♙
♙♗♙♛
♙♙♘♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 857 · solved 1,213 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be3

Solution: Qxh2#

♜♛♜♚
♝♟♟♟
♞♟♝♞
♟♟♟♘
♟♘
♙♙♙♙
♗♕♙♗♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1084 · solved 2,211 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c4

Solution: Nxf6+ → gxf6 → Qxh7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♙♝♟♟
♟
♟♛
♕♙♗♟
♙
♙♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1101 · solved 1,332 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: O-O

Solution: Qxh2#

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♝
♞♟
♙
♙♘♟
♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔♗
Black to move · rating 1230 · solved 3,522 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng3

Solution: h2+ → Kg2 → Qh3#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♛♟♟
♟♟♞
♙♟
♘♗
♙♙♗♙♙♘
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1251 · solved 3,423 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: Qxh2#

♜♛♜
♟♟♚♟
♝♘♟
♟♞
♙♘♙
♙♙♕♙♗♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1346 · solved 3,261 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf6

Solution: Nxf3+ → Bxf3 → Qxd2

♜♝♜♚
♗♟♛♟♟
♟♟♗
♞
♙♙
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1464 · solved 4,707 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb7

Solution: Qxe1+ → Qxe1 → Rxe1+ → Rxe1 → Bxb7

♜♝♛♚
♝
♟♟♜♕
♟♟♘
♞♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1703 · solved 581 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf6

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Qh7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟
♞♝
♟♟♝
♗
♙♙♕♙
♗♙♞♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1971 · solved 334 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe7

Solution: Bxe6+ → Rf7 → Qxg7#

♜♛♜♚
♝♞♝♟♟
♟♟♟
♗♖♕
♙
♘♗
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1986 · solved 345 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh5+ → Kg8 → Rh8#

♜♝♚
♟♟
♟♛♟♟♟
♘
♘♝♞
♙♙
♗♖♜♗♙
♖♕♔
Black to move · rating 2175 · solved 300 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Na4

Solution: Rf1+ → Kxf1 → Nxh2#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝♛
♟
♙
♗♙♙♙
♙♕♘♗
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2220 · solved 393 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe3

Solution: Qxe3+ → Kf1 → Rh1+ → Bxh1 → Bh3+ → Bg2 → Qf3+ → Kg1 → Qxg2#

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 English Opening

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Kingside attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelFoundation levelDeveloping level