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Attacks on f2 / f7 Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1089 · solved 9,549,363 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 5,770 puzzles, median rating 1089, solved 9,549,363 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 attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 5,770 attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 9,549,363 times in total. The median rating is 1089.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,507 · 60.8%
Developing
1,230 · 21.3%
Challenging
569 · 9.9%
Advanced
464 · 8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,291Mate in 1 · 3,694Opening tactics · 3,207Middlegame tactics · 2,557Mate in 2 · 524Deflection · 414Sacrifice · 412Attraction · 333Discovered attack · 321

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 5,770

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical attacks on f2 / f7 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (34.7% of all 5,770).

64.8% need 1 solver move, 23.4% need 2 solver moves, 9.3% need 3 solver moves, 1.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 900 for the shortest solutions, 2592 for the longest.

58.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 96.6% and gives check in 93%; 74.4% end in checkmate, 17.3% involve a sacrifice, 77.8% have White to move.

96.6%first move captures
93%first move gives check
74.4%end in checkmate
17.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
64.8% · median rating 900
2 solver moves
23.4% · median rating 1473
3 solver moves
9.3% · median rating 1914
4 solver moves
1.8% · median rating 2283
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 2592

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
58.6%
Key move by a bishop
31.4%
Key move by a knight
5.7%
Key move by a pawn
3%
Key move by a rook
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
77.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
12%
Most valuable capture: bishop
4.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
2.4%

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)
5.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
76.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
10.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
47.4%
21–27 pieces
52%
13–20 pieces
0.7%
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 (94.2%), e5 (1%), f6 (0.8%), c7 (0.5%), d6 (0.4%).

8
94.27
6
15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♙♞
♘
♗
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1059 · solved 1,917 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bxf7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♞♕♞
♘
♙
♗♗
♙♙♔♙♛♙
White to move · rating 1167 · solved 2,004 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg2

Solution: Bxf7#

♜♛♚♜
♝♟♟
♟♟♟♝♟
♞
♗♙♕
♙♘♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1199 · solved 2,103 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nh5

Solution: Bxf7+ → Bxf7 → Qxf7+

♜♝♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♟♘
♟
♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1238 · solved 1,630 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc4

Solution: Qxf7#

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♟♝♟
♞♟♟♕♟
♘
♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1335 · solved 3,593 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg7

Solution: Nxd6+ → Qxd6 → Qxf7+

♜♞♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘
♗♟♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1377 · solved 2,071 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bxf7#

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♛♟
♘♙
♙♗♞
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1434 · solved 1,500 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd5

Solution: Qxf2#

♜♝♛♚♝♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♗♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1641 · solved 380 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne7

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kxf7 → Qxd8

♜♚♜
♟♝♝♟♟♟
♛
♟♞♗
♘♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1644 · solved 842 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Kd7 → Nxd5

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♝♟
♟♕
♛
♙
♗♙♟
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1734 · solved 633 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe5

Solution: Bxf7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♕♟♟♟
♛♞♟
♗♝♗
♘♙♞
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 2408 · solved 268 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Na4

Solution: Bb4+ → Rd2 → Qxf2+ → Kd1 → Bxd2

♜♝♚♝♜
♛♞♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♟♙
♙♗
♗♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2415 · solved 280 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc7

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kxf7 → Qd5+ → Ke8 → Qe6+ → Be7 → Qxe7#

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 Sicilian Defence

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateMate in 1Opening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionDefensive moveTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Attacks on f2 / f7 puzzles by difficulty

Challenging levelFoundation levelDeveloping level