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Middlegame tactics Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1783 · solved 1,528,729,403 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are middlegame tactics puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 613,715 puzzles, median rating 1783, solved 1,528,729,403 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.

All middlegame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 613,715 middlegame tactics puzzles at challenging level, solved 1,528,729,403 times in total. The median rating is 1783.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 86,904Sacrifice · 83,390Fork · 83,120Kingside attack · 72,330Pin · 62,749Discovered attack · 46,773Mate in 2 · 44,585Attraction · 42,620

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 31,161French Defence · 13,055Queen's Pawn Game · 10,924Caro–Kann Defence · 10,497Italian Game · 10,412Scandinavian Defense · 7,546Queen's Gambit Declined · 6,901English Opening · 6,127

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 challenging level (0.3% of all 613,715).

2.2% need 1 solver move, 53.8% need 2 solver moves, 37.1% need 3 solver moves, 6% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1695 for the shortest solutions, 1849 for the longest.

30.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 50.2% and gives check in 43.4%; 15% end in checkmate, 32.6% involve a sacrifice, 53.8% have White to move.

50.2%first move captures
43.4%first move gives check
15%end in checkmate
32.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
2.2% · median rating 1695
2 solver moves
53.8% · median rating 1774
3 solver moves
37.1% · median rating 1792
4 solver moves
6% · median rating 1864
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 1849

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
30.2%
Key move by a rook
25.4%
Key move by a knight
18.2%
Key move by a bishop
16%
Key move by a pawn
8.8%
Key move by the king
1.5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
39.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
19.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
11.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10%
Captures nothing along the line
8.8%

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)
21.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
13.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
31.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
24.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
5.6%
21–27 pieces
63.3%
13–20 pieces
31.1%
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: f6 (4.8%), f7 (4.3%), d5 (4%), f5 (3.5%), g6 (3.5%).

1.31.11.71.41.88
1.82.13.54.32.63.17
1.32.42.12.64.83.53.36
1.21.643.43.53.12.55
1.52.531.62.51.24
1.211.41.21.11.61.13
12
11.11
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.

♚♜
♖♝♛♞♜
♝♟
♟♟♙♖♟
♙
♙♙
♘♗♗
♕♔
Black to move · rating 1600 · solved 3,003 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e5

Solution: Rh1+ → Bxh1 → Rxh1#

♜♚
♝♝♟
♟♞♟
♞♟♗
♗♜♙
♛♖♘
♙♙♙♘
♖♕♔
Black to move · rating 1606 · solved 3,690 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc4+

Solution: Nxc4 → Rxa3 → Rxd1+ → Rxd1 → Nxa3

♜♚
♟♟
♜♟
♕♙♟
♙♙
♖♛♗
♖
♔
Black to move · rating 1626 · solved 3,044 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd3

Solution: Re1+ → Bxe1 → Rxe1+ → Kh2 → Rh1#

♜♜
♖
♟♟♚
♟♘
♙♙♞♕
♙
♛♙
♔
White to move · rating 1640 · solved 3,583 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh6

Solution: Qh4+ → Nh5 → Ng4#

♜♜
♟♚
♟♗♟
♛♟♟♟
♙♞♙♕
♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1643 · solved 3,128 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rae1

Solution: Qxe1+ → Rxe1 → Nf3+ → Kf1 → Nxh4

♜♜
♟♟♚
♝♟♟♙♝
♟♟♛♙♕
♙
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1644 · solved 3,358 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf5

Solution: Qxh6+ → Kg8 → Qg7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♝♟
♟♞♟
♛♟
♙♙
♙♙♘♗♙
♙♕♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1646 · solved 3,532 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc4

Solution: Nxe4 → Qe1 → Nxg3+ → Qxg3 → e4

♜♚
♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♙♟
♙♖♞
♜♘♙
♖♙♔♙
♕
White to move · rating 1647 · solved 2,995 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf6

Solution: Rexe4 → dxe4 → Rxd8+

♜♜♝♚
♟♝♞
♟♞♟
♛♟♘
♗
♙
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1658 · solved 3,447 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh6

Solution: Qg6+ → Ng7 → Qf7+ → Kh8 → Ng6#

♜♜♚
♟♟♕♟
♙
♘♟
♙♛
♙♙♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1669 · solved 3,537 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf7

Solution: Rxe4+ → fxe4 → Qe3#

♜♚
♟♝♟
♕♟
♘♛
♙♙
♙♖♙
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1737 · solved 3,131 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rcxb2

Solution: Bxb2+ → Rxb2 → Qc1+ → Rb1 → Qxb1#

♜♞♚
♟♟♜♟♟
♝
♟
♙♕
♙♗♔♙♙♙
♛♘♖
White to move · rating 1823 · solved 4,651 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa1

Solution: Qc8+ → Be8 → Qxe8+ → Rf8 → Bb3+ → c4 → Bxc4+ → Kh8 → Qxf8#

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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