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Mate in 2 Puzzles from the Scandinavian Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1128 · solved 9,979,489 times

Opening: Scandinavian Defense

These mate in 2 puzzles were set in games that began as the Scandinavian Defense: 4,895 puzzles, median rating 1128, solved 9,979,489 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.

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By the numbers

mate in 2 puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games: the numbers

There are 4,895 mate in 2 puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games, solved 9,979,489 times in total. The median rating is 1128.

How hard are they?

Foundation
2,986 · 61%
Developing
1,317 · 26.9%
Challenging
498 · 10.2%
Advanced
94 · 1.9%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,895Middlegame tactics · 3,841Kingside attack · 2,106Sacrifice · 847Queenside attack · 829Opening tactics · 812Back-rank mate · 386Pin · 245Endgame tactics · 242Discovered attack · 227

Which openings produce them?

Scandinavian Defense · 4,895

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 2 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 2 puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games (40.9% of all 4,895).

100% need 2 solver moves. Median rating: 1129 for the shortest solutions, 1129 for the longest.

50.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 41.4% and gives check in 99.9%; 100% end in checkmate, 26.2% involve a sacrifice, 49% have White to move.

41.4%first move captures
99.9%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
26.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
100% · median rating 1129

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
50.8%
Key move by a knight
20.4%
Key move by a bishop
15.8%
Key move by a rook
12.2%
Key move by a pawn
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
31.3%
Captures nothing along the line
27.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
16.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
15.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
4.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
4.2%

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)
51%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
27.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
7.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
13.3%
21–27 pieces
78.3%
13–20 pieces
8.4%
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 (16.7%), f6 (14.3%), d8 (8.8%), e8 (7.1%), f7 (6.1%).

1.11.28.87.118
3.81.21.41.76.116.77
3.1524.614.32.636
1.511.22.65
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 2 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♘
♞♗
♙♗♞
♙♙
♙♛♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 857 · solved 1,122 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf5

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qxh2#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟♛
♘♞
♘♙
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 977 · solved 1,112 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: Qh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♛
♞♞
♙♘♘
♙♙♙♗♗♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1171 · solved 1,176 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng3

Solution: Nxf3+ → gxf3 → Qh2#

♚♜♝♜
♟♛♟♟♟
♗♗♟
♞♞
♙♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1200 · solved 1,887 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf3

Solution: Nxf3+ → gxf3 → Qh2#

♜♚♜
♟♖♟♟♟
♞♟♝
♗♟♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♘
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 1222 · solved 2,077 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc7

Solution: Rb8+ → Rc8 → Rxc8#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♗♞
♘
♞♟
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1458 · solved 2,100 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc4

Solution: Nxa7+ → Kb8 → Rxd8#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟♞
♗♛
♗♙♟
♘♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1660 · solved 1,114 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g4

Solution: Qxc6+ → bxc6 → Ba6#

♜♜♚
♞♛♟♟
♟♝♟
♟♟♗♙♕
♟♟
♙♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 1727 · solved 1,618 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: exf4

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3#

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟♟
♗♕♗
♙♛♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♝♔
White to move · rating 1853 · solved 1,717 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc3

Solution: Qxc6+ → bxc6 → Ba6#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♙♞♙
♙
♞♙♙
♘♙♛
♙♙♔
♖♗♕♗♝♖
Black to move · rating 2086 · solved 29 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg6

Solution: Ne4+ → fxe4 → Qe3#

♜♝♜
♟♟♟♚♟♟
♖♞
♗♙
♙♗♙♝
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2503 · solved 111 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re8

Solution: Re7+ → Kxe7 → Bc5#

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 attackForkDiscovered attackPinSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 2 puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level