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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Scandinavian Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1312 · solved 66,229,701 times

Opening: Scandinavian Defense

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Scandinavian Defense: 39,787 puzzles, median rating 1312, solved 66,229,701 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 middlegame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet About the Scandinavian Defense

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games: the numbers

There are 39,787 middlegame tactics puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games, solved 66,229,701 times in total. The median rating is 1312.

How hard are they?

Foundation
17,310 · 43.5%
Developing
9,057 · 22.8%
Challenging
7,546 · 19%
Advanced
5,874 · 14.8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 16,515Mate in 1 · 11,870Kingside attack · 8,019Fork · 4,222Mate in 2 · 3,841Sacrifice · 2,855Discovered attack · 2,851Queenside attack · 2,672Pin · 2,650

Which openings produce them?

Scandinavian Defense · 39,787

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical middlegame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 middlegame tactics puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games (5% of all 39,787).

29.2% need 1 solver move, 45.4% need 2 solver moves, 21.2% need 3 solver moves, 3.4% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 887 for the shortest solutions, 2395 for the longest.

41.9% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53% and gives check in 62.6%; 40.6% end in checkmate, 21.7% involve a sacrifice, 48.8% have White to move.

53%first move captures
62.6%first move gives check
40.6%end in checkmate
21.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
29.2% · median rating 887
2 solver moves
45.4% · median rating 1441
3 solver moves
21.2% · median rating 1809
4 solver moves
3.4% · median rating 2049
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2395

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
41.9%
Key move by a knight
19.8%
Key move by a bishop
18.6%
Key move by a rook
12.7%
Key move by a pawn
6.3%
Key move by the king
0.7%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28.7%
Captures nothing along the line
20%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
11.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.8%

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)
28.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.9%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
22.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
11.8%
21–27 pieces
84%
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: h7 (14.3%), f7 (5.1%), g7 (5.1%), f6 (5%), d8 (4.2%).

1.54.23.31.38
1.11.41.81.92.95.15.114.37
1.73.51.82.651.526
2.13.13.42.32.41.25
11.422.22.14
1.13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝♟♟
♙♗
♘♗♛
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 920 · solved 2,218 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg4

Solution: Qh2#

♜♚♜
♟♝♞♟♟
♞
♛♟
♗
♘♕♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1107 · solved 2,834 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h5

Solution: Qd8+ → Rxd8 → Rxd8+ → Ne8 → Rxf7+

♝♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟♟
♙♕
♙♙♘♛♙♙♙
♖♗♜♖♔
Black to move · rating 1124 · solved 2,883 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe4

Solution: Rxf1+ → Nxf1 → Qxe4

♜♚♜
♟♖♟♟♟
♞♟♝
♗♟♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♘
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 1288 · solved 2,515 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be2

Solution: Qxe2 → Qxe2 → Bxe2

♚♜♜
♗♟♟♟♟
♝
♙
♙
♙♞♖♙♙♙
♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1295 · solved 2,906 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxa7

Solution: Re1#

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♙♟♟
♛♞♗
♖
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♔♖
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

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♛
♞♙♝
♙♙♘
♙♕♗♙♙♙
♖♘♔♖
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+

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

Opponent's last move: Qe2

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

♜♜♞♚
♟♝♟♟
♛♟♟♝
♟♞♘♗♕
♙♙
♙♗
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2159 · solved 674 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf6

Solution: Bxh7+ → Nxh7 → Qf7+ → Kh8 → Ng6#

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

CheckmateOpening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level