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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Russian Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1434 · solved 15,723,000 times

Opening: Russian Game

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Russian Game: 5,289 puzzles, median rating 1434, solved 15,723,000 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

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Russian Game games: the numbers

There are 5,289 opening tactics puzzles from Russian Game games, solved 15,723,000 times in total. The median rating is 1434.

How hard are they?

Foundation
1,733 · 32.8%
Developing
1,550 · 29.3%
Challenging
1,138 · 21.5%
Advanced
868 · 16.4%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 1,374Mate in 1 · 923Kingside attack · 847Fork · 713Discovered attack · 556Pin · 382Mate in 2 · 367Hanging piece · 324Sacrifice · 288

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 Russian Game games (37.8% of all 5,289).

17.6% need 1 solver move, 53.5% need 2 solver moves, 24.6% need 3 solver moves, 3.2% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 896 for the shortest solutions, 2607 for the longest.

41.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 56.4% and gives check in 56.4%; 26.4% end in checkmate, 20.3% involve a sacrifice, 38.8% have White to move.

56.4%first move captures
56.4%first move gives check
26.4%end in checkmate
20.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
17.6% · median rating 896
2 solver moves
53.5% · median rating 1409
3 solver moves
24.6% · median rating 1768
4 solver moves
3.2% · median rating 2099
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 2607

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
41.2%
Key move by a knight
22.4%
Key move by a bishop
22.2%
Key move by a pawn
7.6%
Key move by a rook
4.5%
Key move by the king
2.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
31.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17%
Most valuable capture: knight
14.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
14%
Captures nothing along the line
13.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
9.3%

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)
20.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
20.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
34.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
51.9%
21–27 pieces
48.1%
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 (12.6%), h7 (8.1%), d5 (6.9%), h5 (6.8%), e5 (5.6%).

1.52.28
2.612.61.58.17
4.42.34.12.81.56
2.56.95.613.76.85
11.92.53.71.12.64
1.33
2.61.12
1.11
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 471 · solved 1,073 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd7

Solution: Qxf7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♟
♙♙♞
♙♛♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 854 · solved 1,896 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d4

Solution: Qh2#

♜♛♞♜♚
♟♟♝♟♟
♕♞
♟
♗♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 969 · solved 1,734 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh8

Solution: Rxf8+ → Nxf8 → Qg8#

♜♞♝♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♘♟♕
♙♟
♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1204 · solved 5,117 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Nxg6 → hxg6 → Qxh8+

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟
♙♟
♘♞
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1206 · solved 1,740 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f3

Solution: Qh4+ → g3 → Nxg3 → hxg3 → Qxh1+

♜♞♝♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♘♞
♟
♙♙♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1290 · solved 10,073 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc4

Solution: Nc6+ → Qe7 → Nxe7

♜♝♛♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟♞
♞♘
♙♙
♘♗♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1331 · solved 37,617 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc5

Solution: Nh6+ → Kh8 → Nxf7+

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♟♝♟♟♟
♟♖
♞♙
♗♙♝
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔
White to move · rating 1606 · solved 25,132 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be7

Solution: Rxd5 → Qc8 → Rxd4

♜♝♚♝♘
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟♛
♙♙♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1628 · solved 23,845 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf6

Solution: Bh5+ → Kd7 → Be8+ → Kd8 → Nf7+ → Qxf7 → Bxf7

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟♟
♞♝♟
♟♙
♘♞
♗♘
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1858 · solved 6,910 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Nxc6 → bxc6 → Rxb8 → Qxb8 → Bxe7

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟
♛
♙♗
♕♙♙
♙♙♙♔
♖♘♗♖
Black to move · rating 2000 · solved 6,733 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Qxb2 → Qc3 → Bd4 → Qxb2 → Bxb2

♜♞♛♞♝♜
♟♟♟♚
♙♟♟
♟
♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
White to move · rating 2065 · solved 7,684 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe5

Solution: Qb3+ → Qd5 → Qxd5#

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 Russian Game

Middlegame tactics

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level