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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Indian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1345 · solved 18,096,948 times

Opening: Indian Defence

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Indian Defence: 7,819 puzzles, median rating 1345, solved 18,096,948 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 Indian Defence

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Indian Defence games: the numbers

There are 7,819 opening tactics puzzles from Indian Defence games, solved 18,096,948 times in total. The median rating is 1345.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,031 · 38.8%
Developing
2,386 · 30.5%
Challenging
1,540 · 19.7%
Advanced
862 · 11%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 2,534Mate in 1 · 2,019Fork · 1,307Kingside attack · 1,033Discovered attack · 571Attacks on f2 / f7 · 563Pin · 476Mate in 2 · 436

Which openings produce them?

Indian Defence · 7,819

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 Indian Defence games (25.6% of all 7,819).

26.2% need 1 solver move, 51.8% need 2 solver moves, 18.4% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 901 for the shortest solutions, 2586 for the longest.

39.4% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 56.6% and gives check in 59.7%; 32.8% end in checkmate, 17.2% involve a sacrifice, 47.4% have White to move.

56.6%first move captures
59.7%first move gives check
32.8%end in checkmate
17.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.2% · median rating 901
2 solver moves
51.8% · median rating 1380
3 solver moves
18.4% · median rating 1713
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 1968
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2586

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.4%
Key move by a knight
23.6%
Key move by a bishop
23%
Key move by a pawn
7.8%
Key move by a rook
4.5%
Key move by the king
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
25.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
19.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18%
Most valuable capture: bishop
16.4%
Captures nothing along the line
14.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
5.5%

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%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
36.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
14.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
5.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
65.2%
21–27 pieces
34.8%
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 (10.5%), h7 (9%), a4 (6.5%), f6 (6.2%), e4 (5.3%).

1.13.88
1.42.21.61.110.53.297
1.23.44.21.46.22.36
3.32.74.31.11.24.35
6.51.21.71.65.31.44
13
1.22
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.

♜♞♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♞
♙
♙♙♙
♙♙♕♘♙♙
♖♔♗♖
White to move · rating 656 · solved 1,194 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe5

Solution: Qxh7#

♜♞♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♟
♙♞♙♛
♗♙
♙♙♙♘♔♙♙
♖♗♕♘♖
Black to move · rating 923 · solved 1,243 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke2

Solution: Qf2#

♜♞♗♜♚
♟♟♟♟♝
♟♟
♝
♙♕
♙♟♙♙♙
♖♔♗♘♖
Black to move · rating 970 · solved 1,325 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb1

Solution: Bc3#

♜♝♜♚♝
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟♟♙
♙♞♛♗
♙
♘♗♙
♙♙♕♙
♔♖♘♖
Black to move · rating 1268 · solved 984 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd3

Solution: Nxd3+ → Qxd3 → Qxg5+

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♝♟
♘
♟♙
♗♘
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1273 · solved 1,389 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd5

Solution: Qa5+ → c3 → Qxd5

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♝♕
♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♗♘♖
Black to move · rating 1410 · solved 2,469 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg5

Solution: Qxg5+ → Nxg5 → Bf4+ → Kb1 → Bxg5

♜♝♛♜
♟♟♞♟♝♚
♟♟
♞♙
♟
♙♙
♙♗♙♗♙♙
♖♕♔♘♖
White to move · rating 1430 · solved 1,308 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh7

Solution: hxg6+ → Kg8 → gxf7+

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝
♙♘
♘♙
♙♙♙♔♙
♖♗♕♗♖
Black to move · rating 1608 · solved 693 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Bg3+ → Kxg3 → Qxd1

♜♝♛♜♚
♞♟♟♝♟
♟♟♗
♟♙♖
♟♙
♙♙
♙♗♕♙
♘♔♖♘
Black to move · rating 1620 · solved 839 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxh5

Solution: Bxb2#

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♛♟♞♟
♗
♝
♙♗♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1942 · solved 775 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf3

Solution: Bxf3 → gxf3 → Qa5+

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♛♞♟♟
♟♙
♙♞♟
♕♙♘♗
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 2036 · solved 430 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd6

Solution: hxg3 → dxc7 → gxf2+ → Rxf2 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Nxf2+ → Kg1 → Nxd3

♜♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♛♞
♙♗
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♗♖
White to move · rating 2301 · solved 384 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: c3 → Nxe3 → fxe3 → Nc2+ → Qxc2

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 Indian Defence

Middlegame tactics

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level