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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1334 · solved 99,160,462 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 41,477 puzzles, median rating 1334, solved 99,160,462 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 Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 41,477 opening tactics puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 99,160,462 times in total. The median rating is 1334.

How hard are they?

Foundation
16,596 · 40%
Developing
12,120 · 29.2%
Challenging
8,285 · 20%
Advanced
4,476 · 10.8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 13,433Mate in 1 · 10,884Fork · 6,761Kingside attack · 5,337Attacks on f2 / f7 · 3,207Discovered attack · 2,997Pin · 2,544Mate in 2 · 2,220

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 41,477

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 Sicilian Defence games (4.8% of all 41,477).

26.3% need 1 solver move, 52.7% need 2 solver moves, 17.8% need 3 solver moves, 2.5% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 874 for the shortest solutions, 2148 for the longest.

39.5% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 55.2% and gives check in 59.6%; 31.9% end in checkmate, 17% involve a sacrifice, 56.8% have White to move.

55.2%first move captures
59.6%first move gives check
31.9%end in checkmate
17%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.3% · median rating 874
2 solver moves
52.7% · median rating 1402
3 solver moves
17.8% · median rating 1747
4 solver moves
2.5% · median rating 2086
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 2148

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.5%
Key move by a knight
26.8%
Key move by a bishop
22.4%
Key move by a pawn
6.6%
Key move by a rook
3.6%
Key move by the king
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
28.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
19.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.8%
Captures nothing along the line
14.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
14.1%
Most valuable capture: rook
5.9%

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)
21.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.3%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
33.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
52.6%
21–27 pieces
47.4%
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 (11.3%), h7 (8.3%), f6 (7.3%), d5 (5.5%), a4 (5.2%).

2.58
2.31.62.311.32.28.37
1.24.84.127.31.56
3.815.53.322.95
5.21.31.82.52.111.84
1.311.43
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 785 · solved 2,342 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nge7

Solution: Nd6#

♜♝♜♚
♟♛♝♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♟
♙♘
♙♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
White to move · rating 820 · solved 2,359 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: O-O

Solution: Qxe7 → Qxe7 → Rxe7

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♛♟
♗
♞
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1040 · solved 2,355 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb4

Solution: Bxf7+ → Rxf7 → Qxd6

♛♚♜♞♜
♞♟♝♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♘
♘♙♙
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1250 · solved 4,216 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxa7

Solution: Nb6#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟♟♞
♝
♘♙
♙♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1316 · solved 3,123 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Na4

Solution: Bf2+ → Ke2 → Ba6+ → c4 → Bxc4#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♝♘♟
♞♗
♛♞
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1342 · solved 3,438 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf5

Solution: Ne6+ → Ke8 → Qh5#

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♝♟
♞♟♘
♟♞
♙♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1497 · solved 3,823 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxh5

Solution: Qxh5 → hxg6 → Qxh8+

♜♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♙♝
♞♙
♗
♙♙♘♙♙
♖♕♔♗♘♖
White to move · rating 1619 · solved 2,052 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: Qa4+ → Qc6 → Qxd4

♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♘♟
♘
♛
♙♙♞♟♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1631 · solved 2,366 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb5

Solution: Qe1+ → Qxe1 → dxe1=Q#

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♝♝♟♟
♞♟
♗♟
♙
♙♘
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♖♗♔♖
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 2011 · solved 763 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg6

Solution: Qh3+ → Nh4 → Qxh4+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♞♝♛♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♚♞
♟♕
♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
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

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 1Kingside attackForkDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level