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Middlegame tactics Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2247 · solved 610,710,866 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are middlegame tactics puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 550,592 puzzles, median rating 2247, solved 610,710,866 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 solutions at this level are built.

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By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 550,592 middlegame tactics puzzles at advanced level, solved 610,710,866 times in total. The median rating is 2247.

Often combined with

Sacrifice · 90,355Pin · 64,844Fork · 64,065Kingside attack · 55,945Defensive move · 49,317Discovered attack · 39,215Attraction · 37,803Quiet move · 37,649

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 23,076French Defence · 9,739Italian Game · 8,714Queen's Pawn Game · 7,401Caro–Kann Defence · 7,391Scandinavian Defense · 5,874Queen's Gambit Declined · 4,845English Opening · 4,146

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical middlegame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 middlegame tactics puzzles at advanced level (0.4% of all 550,592).

33.6% need 2 solver moves, 44.4% need 3 solver moves, 15.2% need 4 solver moves, 7% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2188 for the shortest solutions, 2443 for the longest.

29.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 49.2% and gives check in 35.6%; 4.1% end in checkmate, 31.7% involve a sacrifice, 53.1% have White to move.

49.2%first move captures
35.6%first move gives check
4.1%end in checkmate
31.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
33.6% · median rating 2188
3 solver moves
44.4% · median rating 2236
4 solver moves
15.2% · median rating 2298
5+ solver moves
7% · median rating 2443

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
29.6%
Key move by a rook
25.6%
Key move by a knight
17.2%
Key move by a bishop
15.5%
Key move by a pawn
9.5%
Key move by the king
2.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
32%
Most valuable capture: rook
21.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
12.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10.8%
Captures nothing along the line
10.2%

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)
27.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
17%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
28%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
21.7%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
3.2%
21–27 pieces
61.8%
13–20 pieces
35%
12 pieces or fewer
0.1%

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: f6 (5.8%), f7 (4.7%), e5 (3.8%), d5 (3.7%), e4 (3.5%).

1.31.321.68
1.21.11.72.54.7337
2.123.15.83.42.26
1.61.33.73.83.53.32.25
1.61.63.51.52.31.34
1.31.21.92.41.51.33
2
1.41.31
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜♜
♟♛♟♝
♟
♟♙
♕♙♙♟♟
♙
♘♗♙
♖♔♝
White to move · rating 2003 · solved 1,069 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: exd5

Solution: Qc6 → Qxb4+ → Kf1 → Qa5 → Rxa5

♜♜♚
♟♕♞♟♟
♝♟
♛♟
♙♙
♙♙
♙♘♙♗♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 2011 · solved 1,130 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne2

Solution: Rab8 → Qc6 → Rb6 → Qxe6+ → Rxe6

♚♜♜
♟♟♟
♟
♕♘
♗♞♛
♖♙
♙♙♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 2016 · solved 1,292 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc8

Solution: Nd7+ → Ka8 → Qxa7+ → Kxa7 → Ra3#

♜♚
♟♟♟♞♜♟
♟
♙♖
♛♙
♙♙♕♟
♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 2029 · solved 1,013 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg3

Solution: Qf6+ → Rgg7 → Rxh7+ → Kg8 → Rh8#

♜♝♜
♟♟♝♚♟♕
♟♟
♟♙
♛
♖
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2042 · solved 909 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Qg6+ → Kg8 → Qxg7#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♛♝♕♜
♘
♞
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2047 · solved 950 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg6

Solution: Qxf7#

♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♟♜
♟♜
♗♖
♙♙♙♛
♙♙♕
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2051 · solved 799 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg4

Solution: Rxf3 → Rxf3 → Qxg4+ → Qg2 → Qxf3 → Qxf3 → Rxf3

♕♜
♕♟♚
♟
♟♙♟
♙♙♙
♙♙♞♛♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 2091 · solved 1,276 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a8=Q

Solution: Rxg3+ → Rxg3 → Qxh1#

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♛
♙
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♕♙
♖♗♔♖
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 2147 · solved 1,291 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf6

Solution: Qxf8+ → Nxf8 → Bxf6#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♙♝♙
♙♗♕
♗
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2171 · solved 767 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf5

Solution: g6 → Be4+ → Bxe4 → Rxf4 → Qxf4

♚
♟♟
♟
♖
♙♛
♕♙
♗♙♜♙♙
♜♖♔
Black to move · rating 2186 · solved 1,271 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf3

Solution: Rxd1+ → Qxd1 → Qxf2+ → Kh2 → Qxg2#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

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