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Fork Puzzles from the Scandinavian Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1377 · solved 17,030,765 times

Opening: Scandinavian Defense

These fork puzzles were set in games that began as the Scandinavian Defense: 6,246 puzzles, median rating 1377, solved 17,030,765 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 fork puzzles Print a worksheet About the Scandinavian Defense

By the numbers

fork puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games: the numbers

There are 6,246 fork puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games, solved 17,030,765 times in total. The median rating is 1377.

How hard are they?

Foundation
2,295 · 36.7%
Developing
1,904 · 30.5%
Challenging
1,267 · 20.3%
Advanced
780 · 12.5%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 4,222Opening tactics · 1,913Sacrifice · 545Attraction · 429Checkmate · 304Mate in 2 · 221Pin · 194Exposed king · 185

Which openings produce them?

Scandinavian Defense · 6,246

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical fork solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 fork puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games (32% of all 6,246).

59.3% need 2 solver moves, 33.1% need 3 solver moves, 6.1% need 4 solver moves, 1.5% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1163 for the shortest solutions, 2184 for the longest.

39.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 43.4% and gives check in 69.7%; 6% end in checkmate, 19.6% involve a sacrifice, 47.6% have White to move.

43.4%first move captures
69.7%first move gives check
6%end in checkmate
19.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
59.3% · median rating 1163
3 solver moves
33.1% · median rating 1649
4 solver moves
6.1% · median rating 2039
5+ solver moves
1.5% · median rating 2184

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.8%
Key move by a knight
31.2%
Key move by a bishop
16.2%
Key move by a pawn
6.8%
Key move by a rook
6.1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
38%
Most valuable capture: bishop
22.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
19.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
16.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
2%
Captures nothing along the line
1.6%

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)
4.1%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
7.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
43%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
27.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
18.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
25.6%
21–27 pieces
70.2%
13–20 pieces
4.2%
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: a4 (7.3%), c7 (6.6%), d5 (5.8%), c6 (5.7%), f6 (5.5%).

1.31.88
1.11.36.61.94.94.21.71.77
5.74.15.45.51.26
5.15.85.22.71.71.25
7.31.72.21.63.61.73.34
13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♝♜
♚♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♛
♙
♝♙
♙♙♗♗♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 638 · solved 1,036 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: Bxf3+ → Qxf3 → gxf3

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♟♛
♙♝♘
♙
♙♙♗♗♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 793 · solved 1,345 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qh5

Solution: Bxg4+ → Qxg4 → Qxg4+

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♘♟
♟♛♟♟
♙♙
♙♙
♙♙♔♕♙
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1027 · solved 1,732 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf7

Solution: Qf4+ → Qe3 → Qxf7

♜♚♜
♟♖♟♟♟
♞♟♝
♗♟♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♘
Black to move · rating 1221 · solved 4,867 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe1

Solution: Rd1+ → Bc1 → Rxc1#

♜♜♚
♟♝♞♟♟
♟♟♝♟
♘♘
♙♙♟♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1245 · solved 1,893 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe3

Solution: Nxd6 → exf2+ → Kxf2

♜♛♚♞♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟
♗♙♕♝
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1341 · solved 1,437 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd5

Solution: Qa5+ → c3 → Qxb5

♜♚♝♞
♟♟♟
♟♞♟♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔♘♜
Black to move · rating 1427 · solved 1,479 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxf5

Solution: Bc5 → Kg2 → Rxg1+ → Qxg1 → Bxg1

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♞
♘♙
♗♟♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1611 · solved 1,949 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc4

Solution: Bxb5 → Bxb5 → Qa5+ → c3 → Qxb5

♜♚♜
♟♝♟
♟♟♟
♙♟♙
♝♛♙♙
♙♕♗
♖♘♔♖
White to move · rating 1757 · solved 958 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb4

Solution: Qa4+ → Kd8 → Qxb4 → Qxb4 → Bxb4

♜♜♚
♟♛♟♟
♟♝♟♞♟
♟♞
♙♙
♘♕♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1908 · solved 589 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe5

Solution: dxe5 → Bxe5 → Bxe5 → Rxd3 → Bxc7

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♛
♙
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♕♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2114 · solved 792 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe2

Solution: Nd4 → Qxe5 → Nxf3+ → Ke2 → Nxe5

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♛♙
♙
♙♗
♙♙♙♕♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2213 · solved 506 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe2

Solution: Nd4 → Qxe5 → Nxf3+ → Ke2 → Nxe5

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 tactics

Same theme, other levels

Fork puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level