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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the English Opening

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1368 · solved 55,607,410 times

Opening: English Opening

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the English Opening: 29,273 puzzles, median rating 1368, solved 55,607,410 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 middlegame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet About the English Opening

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from English Opening games: the numbers

There are 29,273 middlegame tactics puzzles from English Opening games, solved 55,607,410 times in total. The median rating is 1368.

How hard are they?

Foundation
11,580 · 39.6%
Developing
7,420 · 25.3%
Challenging
6,127 · 20.9%
Advanced
4,146 · 14.2%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 9,387Mate in 1 · 7,265Kingside attack · 6,138Fork · 4,030Discovered attack · 2,191Mate in 2 · 1,730Sacrifice · 1,691Pin · 1,582

Which openings produce them?

English Opening · 29,273

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 from English Opening games (6.8% of all 29,273).

24.8% need 1 solver move, 52.6% need 2 solver moves, 19.3% need 3 solver moves, 3% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 829 for the shortest solutions, 1880 for the longest.

39.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 57.3% and gives check in 55.8%; 31.6% end in checkmate, 20.6% involve a sacrifice, 50.6% have White to move.

57.3%first move captures
55.8%first move gives check
31.6%end in checkmate
20.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
24.8% · median rating 829
2 solver moves
52.6% · median rating 1423
3 solver moves
19.3% · median rating 1791
4 solver moves
3% · median rating 1880

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.8%
Key move by a knight
24.6%
Key move by a bishop
18.2%
Key move by a rook
9.8%
Key move by a pawn
6.9%
Key move by the king
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.5%
Most valuable capture: knight
14.4%
Captures nothing along the line
12.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
12%

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)
20%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
22%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
29.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
20.2%
21–27 pieces
77.2%
13–20 pieces
2.6%
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: g7 (9.3%), f6 (7.6%), h7 (7.4%), f7 (5%), d5 (4.3%).

1.42.72.38
1.41.513.559.37.47
1.33.61.92.47.61.81.46
14.33.81.52.92.15
2.111.93.22.411.64
11.513
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.

♜♝♚♜
♟♛♝♟
♟♟♕♟
♗
♙
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 983 · solved 2,448 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf7

Solution: Qd8#

♜♜
♟♟♟♟♚♟
♟♟
♘♙♞
♙♙♔♙
♙♙♛
♖♕♖
White to move · rating 1087 · solved 13,893 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg7

Solution: Qd4+ → e5 → Qxg4

♜♜♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♟
♞
♙
♙♘♞♗♙♙
♙♘♔♙
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1173 · solved 2,601 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rhd1

Solution: Ng3#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♟♝♟
♟♗
♟♙♙♕
♖♙
♙♙♙♗♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1201 · solved 3,356 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf6

Solution: Bxf6 → Qxf6 → e5 → Qe7 → Bxa8

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♛♞♟♞
♘♟
♙♝
♕♘♙♙
♙♙♙♗♙
♖♗♔♖
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 1346 · solved 3,261 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxf6

Solution: Nxf3+ → Bxf3 → Qxd2

♜♝♜♚
♗♟♛♟♟
♟♟♗
♞
♙♙
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1464 · solved 4,707 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb7

Solution: Qxe1+ → Qxe1 → Rxe1+ → Rxe1 → Bxb7

♜♛♜♚
♝♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♟
♞♙♞
♙♙♕♙♙
♘♙♗♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1606 · solved 1,017 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a5

Solution: Bxe4 → dxe4 → Qxc4 → Ba6 → Qa2

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♖♝
♟
♙♙♗♙
♙♗♙♙
♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1649 · solved 1,153 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb7

Solution: Rxf6 → Bxf3 → Rxf3

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♞
♟♟♛♗
♝♘♟
♙♞♙
♘♙
♙♙♕♗♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1694 · solved 1,467 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd5

Solution: Nxe2+ → Qxe2 → Qxh6+

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟
♟♞♟♟
♟♗♟♕
♙♘
♙♙♙
♙♙
♖♗♝♔
White to move · rating 2019 · solved 476 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf1

Solution: Nxh6 → g6 → Nf7+ → Kg7 → Qh6+

♗♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♞♝
♘
♕♞♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 2047 · solved 541 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: Nf3+ → Kf1 → Bh3#

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 English Opening

Opening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level