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Fork Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1349 · solved 26,489,755 times

Opening: French Defence

These fork puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 9,727 puzzles, median rating 1349, solved 26,489,755 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 fork puzzles Print a worksheet About the French Defence

By the numbers

fork puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 9,727 fork puzzles from French Defence games, solved 26,489,755 times in total. The median rating is 1349.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,693 · 38%
Developing
2,871 · 29.5%
Challenging
1,947 · 20%
Advanced
1,216 · 12.5%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 7,005Opening tactics · 2,619Sacrifice · 789Attraction · 538Checkmate · 423Exposed king · 387Discovered attack · 292Mate in 2 · 291

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 9,727

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical fork solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 fork puzzles from French Defence games (20.6% of all 9,727).

61.8% need 2 solver moves, 29.8% need 3 solver moves, 6.3% need 4 solver moves, 2.1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1158 for the shortest solutions, 2278 for the longest.

42.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 38.7% and gives check in 69.6%; 5.1% end in checkmate, 18.4% involve a sacrifice, 55.2% have White to move.

38.7%first move captures
69.6%first move gives check
5.1%end in checkmate
18.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
61.8% · median rating 1158
3 solver moves
29.8% · median rating 1648
4 solver moves
6.3% · median rating 1997
5+ solver moves
2.1% · median rating 2278

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
42.2%
Key move by a knight
28.7%
Key move by a bishop
13.6%
Key move by a pawn
8.4%
Key move by a rook
7.1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
31%
Most valuable capture: bishop
26.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
22%
Most valuable capture: knight
16.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
2.7%
Captures nothing along the line
1.8%

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)
4.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
45%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
28.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
14.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
23.6%
21–27 pieces
73%
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: a4 (12.4%), d5 (7%), e6 (7%), c6 (6%), e5 (5.6%).

12.38
1.24.11.24.95.41.71.77
62.5742.26
4.7175.632.12.25
12.41.21.61.32.21.31.64
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♝♛
♞♝♟♟
♞♘♟♘
♙♙♕
♙♗
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1161 · solved 3,333 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f5

Solution: Ng6+ → Kh7 → Nxe7

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟
♛♟
♟♟
♝♙
♟♙♙♙
♙♙♘♘♗♙
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1184 · solved 1,462 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxc3

Solution: Qb3+ → Be6 → Qxb4

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♝♞♟♟♟
♞
♙
♙♗
♙♘
♕♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1192 · solved 1,396 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd4

Solution: Nxd4 → Nxd4 → Qc3+ → Qd2 → Qxa1+

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♞♞♟♟
♟♝♟
♟
♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♗♕♙♙♘
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1252 · solved 1,516 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re8

Solution: Qe6+ → Kh8 → Qxd6

♜♚♜
♟♛♝♟♟♟
♟♞
♕♟
♙
♖
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔
White to move · rating 1298 · solved 3,650 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Rxe7+ → Qxe7 → Qxc6+ → Qd7 → Qxa8+

♜♝♛♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♙♟
♙
♙♙♘♙♙
♖♗♕♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1322 · solved 2,828 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe4

Solution: Qa4+ → Bd7 → Qxb4

♚♜
♟♟♟
♘♟♛
♞
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1331 · solved 1,754 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf3

Solution: Qd4+ → Kf1 → Nd2+ → Ke2 → Nxf3

♜♞♝♛♜
♟♟♚♟♟
♟
♝
♟♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1679 · solved 1,652 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be5

Solution: Qh5+ → Kg8 → Qxe5

♜♝♜♞♚
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟♘♙
♗
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1679 · solved 1,204 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf5

Solution: Bxf5 → Bxf5 → Qg5+ → Kb1 → Qxf5

♜♛♜
♟♟♞♟♟♚
♟♞
♟♗
♙♝
♙♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1746 · solved 1,047 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxh7

Solution: Bxe7 → Nxe7 → Ng5+ → Kh8 → Qxg4

♜♛♜
♟♟♚
♟♝♟♞♟
♟♝♞
♘
♙♙♕♘♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♖♔
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

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♟♙
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 2162 · solved 321 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe4

Solution: Qh4+ → Kd2 → Rf2+ → Kc3 → Qxe4

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 tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackDiscovered attackSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Fork puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level