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Sacrifice Puzzles from the Scandinavian Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1772 · solved 9,584,251 times

Opening: Scandinavian Defense

These sacrifice puzzles were set in games that began as the Scandinavian Defense: 3,435 puzzles, median rating 1772, solved 9,584,251 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 sacrifice puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

sacrifice puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games: the numbers

There are 3,435 sacrifice puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games, solved 9,584,251 times in total. The median rating is 1772.

How hard are they?

Foundation
482 · 14%
Developing
727 · 21.2%
Challenging
1,077 · 31.4%
Advanced
1,149 · 33.4%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 2,855Checkmate · 1,360Kingside attack · 1,012Attraction · 977Mate in 2 · 847Fork · 545Opening tactics · 505Queenside attack · 435Mate in 3 · 410

Which openings produce them?

Scandinavian Defense · 3,435

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical sacrifice solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 sacrifice puzzles from Scandinavian Defense games (58.2% of all 3,435).

36.4% need 2 solver moves, 48.6% need 3 solver moves, 11% need 4 solver moves, 3.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1550 for the shortest solutions, 2363 for the longest.

34.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 59.6% and gives check in 65.2%; 40.6% end in checkmate, 84.6% involve a sacrifice, 52.7% have White to move.

59.6%first move captures
65.2%first move gives check
40.6%end in checkmate
84.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
36.4% · median rating 1550
3 solver moves
48.6% · median rating 1796
4 solver moves
11% · median rating 2157
5+ solver moves
3.9% · median rating 2363

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
34.2%
Key move by a knight
23.6%
Key move by a rook
23.2%
Key move by a bishop
15.2%
Key move by a pawn
3.1%
Key move by the king
0.5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
29.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
27.7%
Most valuable capture: rook
14.7%
Captures nothing along the line
10%
Most valuable capture: knight
9.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9%

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)
64.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
16.3%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
10.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
15.8%
21–27 pieces
78.6%
13–20 pieces
5.6%
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: f7 (9.7%), f6 (8.2%), c6 (7.9%), h7 (7.4%), d7 (5.5%).

4.121.51.32.58
1.51.45.53.79.73.57.47
7.91.83.68.23.52.76
1.952.81.21.75
1.11.11.34
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜♜
♟♟♛♞
♟♟♟
♘♝♟♟
♙♕
♙♙
♙♙♙♗
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 990 · solved 963 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne7

Solution: Na7+ → Bxa7 → Qxb7#

♜♚♜
♟♝♞♟♟
♞
♛♟
♗
♘♕♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
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 1175 · solved 887 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf5

Solution: Nf3+ → gxf3 → Qxh2#

♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝
♟♘
♘♛
♙♗♗♞
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1222 · solved 1,883 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Ne2+ → Nxe2 → Qxh2#

♚♜♝♞♜
♕♟♟♟♟♟
♙♛
♗
♘♝
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1324 · solved 1,857 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc6

Solution: Qd1+ → Nxd1 → Rxd1#

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♝
♟♟
♙
♗♛♞♗♙
♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♘♖
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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟
♝
♙♙♕
♙♘♛
♞♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1587 · solved 1,049 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b4

Solution: Qxf1+ → Kxf1 → Re1#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟♞
♗♛
♗♙♟
♘♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
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 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

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackForkMate in 2Discovered attackPin

Same theme, other levels

Sacrifice puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level