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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Italian Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1328 · solved 33,552,058 times

Opening: Italian Game

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Italian Game: 15,158 puzzles, median rating 1328, solved 33,552,058 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 Italian Game

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Italian Game games: the numbers

There are 15,158 opening tactics puzzles from Italian Game games, solved 33,552,058 times in total. The median rating is 1328.

How hard are they?

Foundation
6,386 · 42.1%
Developing
3,752 · 24.8%
Challenging
2,910 · 19.2%
Advanced
2,110 · 13.9%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 5,908Mate in 1 · 4,614Kingside attack · 2,537Fork · 1,840Attacks on f2 / f7 · 1,505Discovered attack · 1,086Mate in 2 · 1,057Pin · 883Hanging piece · 820

Which openings produce them?

Italian Game · 15,158

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 Italian Game games (13.2% of all 15,158).

30.3% need 1 solver move, 49.6% need 2 solver moves, 16.5% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.7% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 850 for the shortest solutions, 2449 for the longest.

47.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.7% and gives check in 62.4%; 37.8% end in checkmate, 17% involve a sacrifice, 59.1% have White to move.

53.7%first move captures
62.4%first move gives check
37.8%end in checkmate
17%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
30.3% · median rating 850
2 solver moves
49.6% · median rating 1472
3 solver moves
16.5% · median rating 1861
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 2068
5+ solver moves
0.7% · median rating 2449

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
47.2%
Key move by a knight
21%
Key move by a bishop
18.5%
Key move by a pawn
7.2%
Key move by a rook
4.4%
Key move by the king
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
25.3%
Most valuable capture: pawn
20.8%
Captures nothing along the line
19.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
14.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12%
Most valuable capture: rook
7.6%

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)
25.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
23.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
17%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
47.6%
21–27 pieces
52.4%
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 (21%), h7 (8.4%), d5 (5.8%), f6 (5.4%), h5 (4.6%).

1.82.21.38
2.6212.38.47
2.51.32.75.42.526
1.45.83.34.24.65
1.21.132.11.64
1.11.83
2.42
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 920 · solved 2,204 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke7

Solution: Qf7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♙
♛♟♗♕
♞
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
White to move · rating 1111 · solved 2,682 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be6

Solution: f7+ → Bxf7 → Qxf7#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝♟
♕♝
♗♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1150 · solved 1,862 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Bxh2+ → Kxh2 → Qxd5

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♘
♙♙♗♞♙♟
♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1275 · solved 4,123 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bf7+ → Ke7 → Nd5#

♜♝♚♞♜
♟♛♟♕
♞♟
♟♝
♗♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1286 · solved 3,534 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be5

Solution: Qf8#

♜♝♛♜
♟♟♟♙♚♟
♞♞♟
♟♕
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1351 · solved 4,352 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Qh6#

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♞
♝♘♟
♗♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1596 · solved 3,716 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Qxg7 → Nxd5 → Qxh8+

♜♝♚♞♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟
♝♟♗
♕♟
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
White to move · rating 1660 · solved 714 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe5

Solution: Rxe5+ → Ne7 → Rxe7+ → Qxe7 → Bxe7

♜♛♚♜
♟♝♟
♟♞♟♗
♟♟
♙
♙♙♙♕♟
♙♙♘♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1738 · solved 683 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf3

Solution: Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qh4+ → Kg1 → Qh2#

♜♛♝♜
♟♟♟♚♙♟
♞♞
♟♘
♗♟♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1760 · solved 565 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg4+

Solution: Nxg4 → gxh8=Q → Bb4+

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♟
♗♘♞♕
♙
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 2050 · solved 509 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg4

Solution: Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Nxf2+ → Kh2 → Nxg4+

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♞♟
♝♟♛♞♟
♗♙♘♟
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2257 · solved 291 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c6

Solution: dxc6 → Bxf2+ → Kh1 → Qxd1 → cxb7+

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 Italian Game

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateKingside attackForkMate in 2Discovered attack

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level