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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Scandinavian Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1298 · solved 28,346,463 times

Opening: Scandinavian Defense

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Scandinavian Defense: 13,100 puzzles, median rating 1298, solved 28,346,463 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 About the Scandinavian Defense

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games: the numbers

There are 13,100 opening tactics puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games, solved 28,346,463 times in total. The median rating is 1298.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,527 · 42.2%
Developing
3,715 · 28.4%
Challenging
2,440 · 18.6%
Advanced
1,418 · 10.8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,665Mate in 1 · 3,756Kingside attack · 1,936Fork · 1,913Discovered attack · 917Attacks on f2 / f7 · 852Pin · 838Mate in 2 · 812

Which openings produce them?

Scandinavian Defense · 13,100

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 Scandinavian Defense games (15.3% of all 13,100).

28.3% need 1 solver move, 51.6% need 2 solver moves, 18% need 3 solver moves, 1.5% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 912 for the shortest solutions, 2350 for the longest.

39.3% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 56.6% and gives check in 61%; 35.4% end in checkmate, 15.6% involve a sacrifice, 47% have White to move.

56.6%first move captures
61%first move gives check
35.4%end in checkmate
15.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
28.3% · median rating 912
2 solver moves
51.6% · median rating 1350
3 solver moves
18% · median rating 1729
4 solver moves
1.5% · median rating 2225
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 2350

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.3%
Key move by a bishop
26.8%
Key move by a knight
25.1%
Key move by a pawn
4.6%
Key move by a rook
3.2%
Key move by the king
1.1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
18.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.4%
Captures nothing along the line
16.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
5.8%

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)
22.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.1%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
32.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
15.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
52.9%
21–27 pieces
47.1%
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: h7 (10.7%), f7 (10.7%), f6 (8.6%), b5 (4.4%), e5 (3.9%).

1.33.28
1.72.81.1210.72.610.77
3.63.528.61.46
4.43.43.92.12.15
3.51.313.12.42.24
1.31.23
2
1
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 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 1183 · solved 1,728 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg5

Solution: Bxf3 → Bxf3 → Qxg5

♚♜♝♞♜
♟♟♟♝♟♟♟♟
♛
♞♙
♘♙♙
♙♙♙♗♘♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1195 · solved 1,963 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd2

Solution: Nf3#

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

Opponent's last move: Nxf3

Solution: Nxf3+ → gxf3 → Qh2#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♟♞
♛♘
♘
♙♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1221 · solved 2,584 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd4

Solution: Qe6#

♜♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟♟
♞
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1353 · solved 1,866 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be3

Solution: Nxf3#

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♝
♟♟
♙
♗♛♞♗♙
♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♘♖
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 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 1729 · solved 1,248 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh3

Solution: Bxh3+ → Kb8 → Qxh5

♚♜♝♜
♟♛♟♟♟
♗
♙♟
♝
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2129 · solved 662 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ba6+

Solution: Kb8 → Qb3+ → Ka8

♜♞♛♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♘
♙♞
♟
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♗♕♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2224 · solved 546 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc5

Solution: Qf6 → Nf4 → Qxf4 → Qf3 → Bxf3

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 tacticsCheckmateFork

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level