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Attraction Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1794 · solved 8,887,183 times

Opening: French Defence

These attraction puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 2,489 puzzles, median rating 1794, solved 8,887,183 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 attraction puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

attraction puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 2,489 attraction puzzles from French Defence games, solved 8,887,183 times in total. The median rating is 1794.

How hard are they?

Foundation
127 · 5.1%
Developing
589 · 23.7%
Challenging
962 · 38.7%
Advanced
811 · 32.6%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 1,886Sacrifice · 1,810Kingside attack · 1,296Opening tactics · 581Fork · 538Checkmate · 433Deflection · 218Discovered attack · 217

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 2,489

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical attraction solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 attraction puzzles from French Defence games (80.4% of all 2,489).

23.2% need 2 solver moves, 54.3% need 3 solver moves, 15.2% need 4 solver moves, 7.3% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1639 for the shortest solutions, 2388 for the longest.

42.6% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 81.7% and gives check in 77.1%; 17.6% end in checkmate, 81.8% involve a sacrifice, 76.5% have White to move.

81.7%first move captures
77.1%first move gives check
17.6%end in checkmate
81.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
23.2% · median rating 1639
3 solver moves
54.3% · median rating 1781
4 solver moves
15.2% · median rating 2068
5+ solver moves
7.3% · median rating 2388

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
42.6%
Key move by a rook
26.5%
Key move by a queen
18%
Key move by a knight
8.8%
Key move by a pawn
4%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
33.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
31.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
12%
Most valuable capture: knight
8.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.9%
Captures nothing along the line
6.3%

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)
54.7%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
9.1%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
17.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
22.8%
21–27 pieces
73.6%
13–20 pieces
3.6%
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: h7 (34.8%), f7 (9.6%), g7 (8.9%), h8 (6.2%), d7 (3.4%).

1.923.16.28
1.63.43.29.68.934.87
1.11.82.31.11.56
1.221.61.85
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♟
♝
♘♜
♗♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1156 · solved 898 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Rxh2+ → Kxh2 → Qh4#

♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♟♞
♜♘
♟
♕♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1168 · solved 703 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc4

Solution: Qxd8+ → Kxd8 → Nxf7+ → Ke7 → Nxh8

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♛♟♟♟
♟
♙
♙♝♕♙
♙♙♙♗♗♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1194 · solved 530 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Bxd2 → Kxd2 → Qb4+

♜♞♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♝♟♝♟
♟♙
♙♗♙
♙
♗♙♙♕♙
♔♖♘♖
Black to move · rating 1391 · solved 766 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g5

Solution: Bxb2+ → Kxb2 → Qd4+ → c3 → Qxe4

♜♛♚
♟♞♟
♟♞♟
♟♟♘
♙♙
♙♜
♙♕♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1400 · solved 743 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg6

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Nxf7+ → Kg8 → Nxd8

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟
♘
♞♘
♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1401 · solved 623 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ncxd5

Solution: Rxe1+ → Qxe1 → Nxf3+ → Kh1 → Nxe1

♜♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♙
♘♙
♘♞
♙♕♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1512 · solved 783 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd4

Solution: Qxd4 → Qxd4 → Nc2+ → Kd2 → Nxd4

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♞♟
♞♟♙
♟♙
♛
♙
♙♙
♖♗♕♔♘♖
White to move · rating 1643 · solved 1,055 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Qh5+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♞♟
♛♟♙
♘♟
♟
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1654 · solved 721 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne7

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Qh5+ → Kg8 → Qh7#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♛♟
♟♟
♙♟♞♕
♘
♙♟
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1838 · solved 1,185 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qh8+ → Kxh8 → Ng6+ → Kg8 → Rh8#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♟♙
♕♞
♙♙♙
♙♗♙♙
♔♗♘♖
Black to move · rating 2082 · solved 240 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h3

Solution: Rd1+ → Kxd1 → Nxf2+ → Ke1 → Nxe4

♜♛♜
♟♟♚
♟♝♟♞♟
♟♝♞
♘
♙♙♕♘♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2104 · solved 400 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qxf6+ → Qxf6 → Nh5+ → Kh8 → Nhxf6

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 French Defence

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateMate in 1Opening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackMate in 2SacrificePin

Same theme, other levels

Attraction puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level