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Middlegame tactics Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1403 · solved 2,114,206,087 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are middlegame tactics puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 667,912 puzzles, median rating 1403, solved 2,114,206,087 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 developing level: the numbers

There are 667,912 middlegame tactics puzzles at developing level, solved 2,114,206,087 times in total. The median rating is 1403.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 201,400Kingside attack · 102,465Mate in 2 · 98,854Fork · 96,954Sacrifice · 68,552Mate in 1 · 66,066Pin · 59,748Discovered attack · 55,212

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 36,066French Defence · 14,940Queen's Pawn Game · 13,872Caro–Kann Defence · 12,688Italian Game · 12,251Scandinavian Defense · 9,057Queen's Gambit Declined · 8,673English Opening · 7,420

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 developing level (0.3% of all 667,912).

10.2% need 1 solver move, 62% need 2 solver moves, 25.2% need 3 solver moves, 2.4% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 1352 for the shortest solutions, 1462 for the longest.

37.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 50.8% and gives check in 60.2%; 31.2% end in checkmate, 32.6% involve a sacrifice, 53.2% have White to move.

50.8%first move captures
60.2%first move gives check
31.2%end in checkmate
32.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
10.2% · median rating 1352
2 solver moves
62% · median rating 1395
3 solver moves
25.2% · median rating 1425
4 solver moves
2.4% · median rating 1462

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
37.2%
Key move by a rook
22.8%
Key move by a knight
17.8%
Key move by a bishop
14.2%
Key move by a pawn
7%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
38.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
20.8%
Captures nothing along the line
13.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
9.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
8.9%
Most valuable capture: bishop
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)
22.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
13%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
29.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
25.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
6.1%
21–27 pieces
64%
13–20 pieces
29.8%
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 (5.6%), h7 (5.6%), f7 (5.4%), h6 (4.4%), e8 (3.9%).

1.41.42.13.92.41.68
1.223.45.43.25.67
12.123.25.63.54.46
1.41.13.33.42.12.92.75
1.112.11.52.61.31.84
111.23
2
1
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 1211 · solved 14,972 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Nh2+ → Kg2 → Nxf3

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♛♞♟♞
♘♟
♙♝
♕♘♙♙
♙♙♙♗♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1253 · solved 6,509 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a6

Solution: Nd6+ → Bxd6 → Qxb6

♜♚
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♝♟
♙
♞♘♙♙♙
♗
♘♔♕♖
♛♖
Black to move · rating 1289 · solved 7,044 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc2

Solution: Rxb2+ → Bxb2 → Qxb2#

♚♝♜
♟♞♟♟
♞♟♗♟
♟♙♟
♜♕♙
♙♙♙
♙♙
♔♖♘♖
Black to move · rating 1301 · solved 11,727 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd6

Solution: Rxd4 → Rxd4 → Bxd6

♕
♟♛♟♟♗
♚♟♙♙
♞♝
♖
♙♙♙
♔♘
Black to move · rating 1310 · solved 7,282 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kb1

Solution: Nd2+ → Ka1 → Nxb3+ → axb3 → Qxb7

♜♚♝
♛
♟♜♟♞♗
♟♟
♙♟♙♘
♙
♕
♖♔
White to move · rating 1325 · solved 6,836 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh8

Solution: Qxh8+ → Ke7 → Qg7+

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟
♝♝
♞♙
♙♙♟♗
♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1360 · solved 7,443 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b3

Solution: e2+ → Kb1 → Na3+ → Kb2 → Nxc2

♜♝♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♛♙
♙♗♞♙♗♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1365 · solved 6,391 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Nc3+ → Kg1 → Nxd1

♜♚
♟♟♖♟
♞♝♕♟
♟♛
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1393 · solved 6,555 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Rxg7+ → Kh8 → Rh7#

♜♜♚
♟
♟♟♟♟
♟♝♟
♙
♙♘♙♖♛
♙♙♕♘
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1475 · solved 18,977 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf3

Solution: Bxh2+ → Qxh2 → Qxf3

♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♜♛♟♕
♙♞♖
♘♙
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1523 · solved 12,695 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd6

Solution: Ng5 → Qg7 → Qxg7+ → Kxg7 → Rxd6

♜
♟♝♞♚♟
♟♟
♟♙
♞♙
♛♗♕
♙♖♘♙
♔
White to move · rating 1531 · solved 17,875 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg7

Solution: Bh6+ → Nxh6 → Qxd3

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

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging level