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Opening tactics Puzzles from the English Opening

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1316 · solved 20,848,973 times

Opening: English Opening

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the English Opening: 8,814 puzzles, median rating 1316, solved 20,848,973 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 English Opening

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from English Opening games: the numbers

There are 8,814 opening tactics puzzles from English Opening games, solved 20,848,973 times in total. The median rating is 1316.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,628 · 41.2%
Developing
2,599 · 29.5%
Challenging
1,661 · 18.8%
Advanced
926 · 10.5%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 2,732Mate in 1 · 2,230Fork · 1,608Kingside attack · 1,044Discovered attack · 616Attacks on f2 / f7 · 555Pin · 451Mate in 2 · 445

Which openings produce them?

English Opening · 8,814

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 English Opening games (22.7% of all 8,814).

26.8% need 1 solver move, 52.4% need 2 solver moves, 18.4% need 3 solver moves, 1.8% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 871 for the shortest solutions, 1943 for the longest.

39% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 54.4% and gives check in 57.9%; 32.4% end in checkmate, 12.6% involve a sacrifice, 45.2% have White to move.

54.4%first move captures
57.9%first move gives check
32.4%end in checkmate
12.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.8% · median rating 871
2 solver moves
52.4% · median rating 1352
3 solver moves
18.4% · median rating 1736
4 solver moves
1.8% · median rating 1943

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39%
Key move by a knight
27.8%
Key move by a bishop
20.4%
Key move by a pawn
8.2%
Key move by a rook
4.1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
24.3%
Most valuable capture: knight
22.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
16.9%
Captures nothing along the line
15.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
14.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
6.7%

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)
22.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
34.5%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
15.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
62.3%
21–27 pieces
37.7%
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: f6 (10.2%), f7 (10.1%), h7 (7.8%), a4 (7.4%), d5 (5%).

2.18
2.11.51.810.13.27.87
4.73.51.210.21.41.26
353.92.23.45
7.41.21.32.82.31.24
1.11.33
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 708 · solved 1,820 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: Bf3#

♜♛♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟♗
♟♟
♙♟
♙♙♞
♙♙
♙♘♗♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 828 · solved 1,524 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: exd5

Solution: Ne3+ → Kf2 → Nxd1+

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♕
♞♟♘
♟
♙
♙♙♟
♗♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 963 · solved 1,481 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf6

Solution: Qxd2#

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟
♟♟
♙♞
♙♕♗♞
♘♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1214 · solved 1,699 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nh3

Solution: Nf3+ → Kd1 → Nxd4

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♝
♞♟
♙
♙♘♟
♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔♗
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#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♝♟♟
♟♝♞♟
♘♟♘
♞♙
♙♙
♙♙♕♙♙♗
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1294 · solved 2,329 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb4

Solution: Nxf6+ → gxf6 → Qh7#

♜♞♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♟♝
♙♙♞
♙♙♘
♙♕♙♙♙
♖♗♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1626 · solved 804 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e3

Solution: Ng3 → Bd3 → Bxd3 → Qxd3 → Nxh1

♜♛♜♚
♘♝♟♟♟
♟♝♞
♕♟
♙
♙
♙♙♙♙♗♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1646 · solved 2,926 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb7

Solution: Bxd5 → Nxd8 → Bxg2

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟
♕♟♙
♙
♘
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1808 · solved 628 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa5

Solution: Ra8 → Qxa8 → Qxa8

♜♝♛♜♚
♝♟♟♟
♟♞♟♞
♟♘♘
♙♙♗
♙♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2317 · solved 259 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Bxe5 → Nxf6+ → Bxf6

♜♛♜♚
♝♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♟
♙♙♞♞
♙♘♙
♗♙♙♗♘
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2373 · solved 263 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e3

Solution: Qh4 → Nxg4 → fxg4 → Qxg4 → Qxg4

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 tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level