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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Four Knights Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1359 · solved 29,009,402 times

Opening: Four Knights Game

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Four Knights Game: 14,718 puzzles, median rating 1359, solved 29,009,402 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 Four Knights Game

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Four Knights Game games: the numbers

There are 14,718 middlegame tactics puzzles from Four Knights Game games, solved 29,009,402 times in total. The median rating is 1359.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,991 · 40.7%
Developing
3,570 · 24.3%
Challenging
2,964 · 20.1%
Advanced
2,193 · 14.9%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 5,070Mate in 1 · 3,387Kingside attack · 3,316Fork · 1,857Mate in 2 · 1,317Pin · 1,220Discovered attack · 1,186Sacrifice · 1,035

Which openings produce them?

Four Knights Game · 14,718

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 Four Knights Game games (13.6% of all 14,718).

23.2% need 1 solver move, 51.6% need 2 solver moves, 21.6% need 3 solver moves, 3% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 864 for the shortest solutions, 2354 for the longest.

42% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 49% and gives check in 60.6%; 34.6% end in checkmate, 22.9% involve a sacrifice, 54% have White to move.

49%first move captures
60.6%first move gives check
34.6%end in checkmate
22.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
23.2% · median rating 864
2 solver moves
51.6% · median rating 1387
3 solver moves
21.6% · median rating 1774
4 solver moves
3% · median rating 2128
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2354

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
42%
Key move by a knight
18.9%
Key move by a bishop
17.6%
Key move by a rook
12.4%
Key move by a pawn
7.6%
Key move by the king
1.4%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
32.2%
Captures nothing along the line
16.9%
Most valuable capture: pawn
15.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
14.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
9.4%

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)
24.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
18.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
25.7%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
21.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
10%
21–27 pieces
86.6%
13–20 pieces
3.4%
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 (7.6%), h7 (6.9%), f7 (6.8%), g7 (6.1%), e8 (5.3%).

3.25.31.418
1.43.86.86.16.97
1.81.22.37.62.93.16
11.12.72.92.153.55
2.12.62.61.82.71.44
1.63
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 1098 · solved 1,276 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: exd6

Solution: Qxe1+ → Rxe1 → Rxe1+ → Kf2 → Bxd5

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♛
♟♟♕♟
♝♙♝
♘♙♘♗
♙♙♙♙♔
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1130 · solved 2,276 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg5

Solution: Bxf3+ → Kxf3 → Qxg5

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♕
♙♟♝♟
♗♛
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1177 · solved 1,804 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc6

Solution: Qxg7 → cxb7+ → Ke7 → bxa8=R → Rxa8

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♞
♗♞
♗♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1279 · solved 2,685 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe5

Solution: Qxe4 → Nxc4 → Qxc4

♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟
♝♗♙
♙
♙♗
♙♜♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1389 · solved 2,297 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd5

Solution: Be3+ → Rd2 → Rb1#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♙♖♟
♙
♛♙♗♕♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1463 · solved 4,137 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa2

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Rd8+ → Rf8 → Rfxf8#

♜♝♛♜♚
♝♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♟♕
♗♞♙
♙♘♙♖
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1540 · solved 2,254 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: Qxg6+ → Kh8 → Qh6#

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟
♟
♟
♟
♗♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1601 · solved 1,233 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh3

Solution: Qxh3 → Bxd5 → Kh8 → Qf3 → Rg8+

♜♝♛♚
♟♟♟
♝♟♟♗
♜♕
♙♟
♗♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1646 · solved 819 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf5

Solution: Bg5#

♜♛♜
♟♟♞♞♚♘♟
♟♝♟♗
♟♘
♟♙
♙♙
♖♙♙♙♙♙
♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1780 · solved 681 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng5+

Solution: fxg5 → Qf3+ → Nf6

♜♜
♟♟♟♛♟♚
♟♝♘♖
♝
♞♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♕♗♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2052 · solved 349 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Qxf6 → Rxf6 → Rh8+ → Rh6 → Rxh6+ → Qxh6+ → Kxh6

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♟
♗♘♙♟♛
♙♔♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖
Black to move · rating 2054 · solved 241 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxf3

Solution: Qh5+ → Kxf4 → Bh6#

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 levelDeveloping level