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Discovered attack Puzzles from the Scandinavian Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1400 · solved 9,495,327 times

Opening: Scandinavian Defense

These discovered attack puzzles were set in games that began as the Scandinavian Defense: 3,811 puzzles, median rating 1400, solved 9,495,327 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 discovered attack puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

discovered attack puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games: the numbers

There are 3,811 discovered attack puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games, solved 9,495,327 times in total. The median rating is 1400.

How hard are they?

Foundation
1,351 · 35.5%
Developing
1,097 · 28.8%
Challenging
803 · 21.1%
Advanced
560 · 14.7%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 2,851Kingside attack · 1,023Opening tactics · 917Discovered check · 625Sacrifice · 369Checkmate · 319Mate in 2 · 227Queenside attack · 219

Which openings produce them?

Scandinavian Defense · 3,811

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical discovered attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 discovered attack puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games (52.5% of all 3,811).

1% need 1 solver move, 67.2% need 2 solver moves, 26.1% need 3 solver moves, 4.6% need 4 solver moves, 1.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1562 for the shortest solutions, 2279 for the longest.

41.9% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 57.5% and gives check in 71.6%; 8.7% end in checkmate, 49.7% involve a sacrifice, 49.9% have White to move.

57.5%first move captures
71.6%first move gives check
8.7%end in checkmate
49.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
1% · median rating 1562
2 solver moves
67.2% · median rating 1200
3 solver moves
26.1% · median rating 1746
4 solver moves
4.6% · median rating 2114
5+ solver moves
1.2% · median rating 2279

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
41.9%
Key move by a bishop
39.7%
Key move by a queen
6.6%
Key move by a pawn
6%
Key move by a rook
5.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
55.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
15.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
5.3%
Captures nothing along the line
2%

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)
7.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
11%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
29.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
40%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
11.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
23%
21–27 pieces
73.4%
13–20 pieces
3.5%
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: h7 (18.2%), f6 (14.6%), e5 (5.5%), d6 (5.5%), f7 (5%).

1.18
1.22.851.218.27
1.44.95.5314.61.96
3.11.73.45.522.95
1.53.12.311.74
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟
♟♟♟
♙
♙♙♝
♙♗
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 746 · solved 1,042 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxf4

Solution: Bxf3#

♜♞♚♜
♟♕♝♛♟♟♟
♟♟♞
♙
♙
♘♙
♙♙♘♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1115 · solved 1,152 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxb7

Solution: Bg3+ → hxg3 → Qxb7

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♞♟
♛♗♕
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1191 · solved 1,288 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kxf7 → Qxa3

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟♟
♞♟
♛♘♕
♙♗♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1240 · solved 1,954 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be7

Solution: Nf6+ → Bxf6 → Qxa4

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♛♟
♞
♙♙♙♙
♙♗♝♙♗♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1341 · solved 2,118 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe2

Solution: cxd4 → Bxd1 → Bxa5

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♙♟♟
♛♞♗
♖
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1393 · solved 2,903 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f5

Solution: Rxc7+ → Kxc7 → Qxb4

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♝
♟♟
♙
♗♛♞♗♙
♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♘♖
White to move · rating 1576 · solved 2,169 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kxf7 → Be5+ → Nf6 → Bxd4

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♖♘♛
♘♟
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔
White to move · rating 1604 · solved 1,537 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh3

Solution: Nd6+ → Kd7 → Rxg5

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♛
♞♙♝
♙♙♘
♙♕♗♙♙♙
♖♘♔♖
Black to move · rating 1604 · solved 1,519 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd2

Solution: Nc2+ → Kd1 → Qxd2+

♚♜♝♜
♝♛♟♟♟
♟♞
♟
♙♞
♙♘♙
♙♙♕♗♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1851 · solved 1,003 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc2

Solution: Nxd4 → cxd4 → Qxc2

♜♜
♟♟♚
♞♛♞♟♟
♟♟
♟♙♙♝♘
♙
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2104 · solved 245 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg4

Solution: Qxg4 → Nxg4 → fxe5+ → Ke7 → exd6+

♜♜
♟♟♛♟♟♚
♟♟♝
♙♕
♝♗
♙♖
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2122 · solved 150 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be4

Solution: Bxh6 → Bg6 → Bg5+ → Bxh5 → Bxe7

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 Scandinavian Defense

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackForkMate in 2PinSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Discovered attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level