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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Scotch Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1293 · solved 16,892,918 times

Opening: Scotch Game

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Scotch Game: 7,825 puzzles, median rating 1293, solved 16,892,918 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 Scotch Game

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Scotch Game games: the numbers

There are 7,825 opening tactics puzzles from Scotch Game games, solved 16,892,918 times in total. The median rating is 1293.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,440 · 44%
Developing
2,019 · 25.8%
Challenging
1,415 · 18.1%
Advanced
951 · 12.2%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 3,144Mate in 1 · 2,566Kingside attack · 1,109Fork · 909Attacks on f2 / f7 · 721Discovered attack · 610Pin · 543Mate in 2 · 473Hanging piece · 379

Which openings produce them?

Scotch Game · 7,825

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 Scotch Game games (25.6% of all 7,825).

31.8% need 1 solver move, 49.4% need 2 solver moves, 15.6% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.5% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 883 for the shortest solutions, 2185 for the longest.

48.4% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 51.8% and gives check in 62.8%; 39.3% end in checkmate, 17.4% involve a sacrifice, 63% have White to move.

51.8%first move captures
62.8%first move gives check
39.3%end in checkmate
17.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
31.8% · median rating 883
2 solver moves
49.4% · median rating 1443
3 solver moves
15.6% · median rating 1774
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 2144
5+ solver moves
0.5% · median rating 2185

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
48.4%
Key move by a knight
20.2%
Key move by a bishop
19.6%
Key move by a pawn
6.7%
Key move by a rook
3.9%
Key move by the king
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28.3%
Captures nothing along the line
20.9%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18%
Most valuable capture: knight
15.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
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)
26.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
28.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
14.9%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8.3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
43.5%
21–27 pieces
56.5%
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: f7 (19.5%), h7 (6.8%), f6 (5.8%), d5 (4.2%), e5 (4.1%).

3.51.88
12.119.52.46.87
3.61.82.65.81.62.36
2.24.24.11.42.83.55
1.71.92.32.211.24
1.73
1.82
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 726 · solved 1,721 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf8

Solution: Qf7#

♜♚♞♜
♟♝♟♟♟♟♟
♟♛
♙
♗♕
♝♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♖
White to move · rating 1023 · solved 1,591 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe3

Solution: Qxf7+ → Kd8 → Qf8#

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♘♗
♗♙
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1061 · solved 1,523 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bxf7#

♜♝♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♘
♞♘♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1277 · solved 2,437 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc4

Solution: Qh5+ → g6 → Qxg6#

♜♝♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟♝♟
♟♛♟
♙♙
♘♗
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1422 · solved 1,598 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc2

Solution: Rxb2 → Qxb2 → Qxc3+ → Qxc3 → Bxc3+ → Kd1 → Bxa1

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♞♗
♗♙
♙♘♙
♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1545 · solved 2,024 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Nxe5 → dxe5 → Qxd8 → Rxd8 → Bxe7

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♝♗♟
♞♟
♟♘
♟♞♕
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1546 · solved 2,013 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf8

Solution: Qh6#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♛♟
♟♞
♘♕♞♟
♗♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1604 · solved 477 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc5

Solution: Nf3+ → Kd1 → Qe1#

♜♚♝♞♜
♟♟♙♟♟♟
♗♛♝
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1644 · solved 840 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c7+

Solution: Qxb5+ → Qe2+ → Qxe2+

♜♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟♝♝
♛♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1738 · solved 665 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Qxd5 → cxd5 → Rxe6+

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♗♟
♞
♟♘
♞♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
White to move · rating 2093 · solved 575 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d5

Solution: Nh6#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟
♝♟
♘♝♘
♙
♙♙♕♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 2232 · solved 272 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg2

Solution: Rxf2 → Rxf2 → Qd1+ → Qf1 → Bxf2+ → Kxf2 → Rf8+ → Bf4 → Rxf4+

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 Scotch Game

Middlegame tactics

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level