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Fork Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1368 · solved 75,342,816 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These fork puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 25,988 puzzles, median rating 1368, solved 75,342,816 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 fork puzzles Print a worksheet About the Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

fork puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 25,988 fork puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 75,342,816 times in total. The median rating is 1368.

How hard are they?

Foundation
9,578 · 36.9%
Developing
7,839 · 30.2%
Challenging
5,466 · 21%
Advanced
3,105 · 11.9%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 18,957Opening tactics · 6,761Sacrifice · 2,424Attraction · 1,933Checkmate · 868Pin · 770Exposed king · 764Discovered attack · 641

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 25,988

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical fork solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 fork puzzles from Sicilian Defence games (7.7% of all 25,988).

64.1% need 2 solver moves, 29.2% need 3 solver moves, 5.4% need 4 solver moves, 1.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1146 for the shortest solutions, 2378 for the longest.

42.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 36.4% and gives check in 70.7%; 3.2% end in checkmate, 17.4% involve a sacrifice, 52.6% have White to move.

36.4%first move captures
70.7%first move gives check
3.2%end in checkmate
17.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
64.1% · median rating 1146
3 solver moves
29.2% · median rating 1645
4 solver moves
5.4% · median rating 2089
5+ solver moves
1.2% · median rating 2378

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
42.2%
Key move by a knight
33.6%
Key move by a bishop
12.7%
Key move by a pawn
6.5%
Key move by a rook
5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
37.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
24.1%
Most valuable capture: knight
18.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
17.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
1.8%
Captures nothing along the line
1%

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)
3.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
6.9%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
43.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
25.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
20.5%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
22.8%
21–27 pieces
73.4%
13–20 pieces
3.8%
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: a4 (10.8%), d5 (10.4%), f6 (7.4%), e7 (6.7%), c7 (6%).

1.48
1.161.56.74.32.17
5.44.147.41.36
3.110.43.61.221.85
10.81.12.91.82.71.34
2.23
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟
♛♞♖
♗♝♟♕
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 820 · solved 2,719 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Bxf2+ → Kh1 → Bxe1

♗♝♛♜♚
♟♞♟♟
♟♟♟♗
♟♟♝
♞
♘♙♙
♙♙♙♕♘♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1080 · solved 2,162 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bh6

Solution: Nf3+ → Kg2 → Nxd2

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♝
♟
♞♗♙
♙♙
♙♙♙♙♗
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1183 · solved 5,262 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Ne2+ → Kh2 → Nxf4

♜♜♚
♝♟♙♝♟
♟♟
♟♟
♛♞♕
♙♘♙♙
♗♙♙♔♙
♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1201 · solved 6,291 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg2

Solution: Ne3+ → Bxe3 → Qxh4

♜♝♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♙
♙♗♞
♘♗♛
♙♙♙♕
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1342 · solved 4,328 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Bxf4 → Rxf4 → Qg3+ → Qg2 → Qxf4

♜
♟♟
♟♞♝♟♚
♝♘♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1391 · solved 3,667 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd8

Solution: Rxf6+ → Kg7 → Rxe6

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♕♟♟
♘♘♞♛
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1534 · solved 3,255 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Nc7+ → Kd8 → Nxf7#

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♝♝♟♟
♞♟
♗♟
♙
♙♘
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1663 · solved 1,672 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d3

Solution: Qa5+ → Bd2 → Qxb5

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♞
♝♙♘
♙♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1673 · solved 1,342 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe4

Solution: Bxe4 → Nxe4 → Qa4+ → Nc6 → Qxe4

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♝♟
♟♞♟♟
♟
♙♙♞♗
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♘♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1749 · solved 1,218 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe3

Solution: Bxc6+ → Bd7 → Bxd7+ → Qxd7 → fxe3

♜♞♝♛♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♚♞
♟♕
♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 2094 · solved 639 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Ng5+ → Kd6 → Nf7+ → Kc7 → Qxc5+ → Nc6 → Nxd8

♜♜♚
♝♛♟♝♟
♟♟♟
♟♟♘
♗♙♕
♙♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2241 · solved 495 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b5

Solution: Rxf7 → Rxf7 → Bxe6 → Bd5 → Bxd7

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 attackDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Fork puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level