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Kingside attack Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1115 · solved 25,194,520 times

Opening: French Defence

These kingside attack puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 16,374 puzzles, median rating 1115, solved 25,194,520 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 kingside attack puzzles Print a worksheet About the French Defence

By the numbers

kingside attack puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 16,374 kingside attack puzzles from French Defence games, solved 25,194,520 times in total. The median rating is 1115.

How hard are they?

Foundation
9,458 · 57.8%
Developing
3,176 · 19.4%
Challenging
2,212 · 13.5%
Advanced
1,528 · 9.3%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 13,578Checkmate · 9,994Mate in 1 · 6,082Mate in 2 · 3,186Opening tactics · 2,691Sacrifice · 2,228Discovered attack · 2,032Attraction · 1,296

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 16,374

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical kingside attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 kingside attack puzzles from French Defence games (12.2% of all 16,374).

35.8% need 1 solver move, 43.1% need 2 solver moves, 16.8% need 3 solver moves, 3.2% need 4 solver moves, 1.1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 751 for the shortest solutions, 2260 for the longest.

52.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 75.2% and gives check in 91.6%; 61.4% end in checkmate, 31% involve a sacrifice, 63.4% have White to move.

75.2%first move captures
91.6%first move gives check
61.4%end in checkmate
31%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
35.8% · median rating 751
2 solver moves
43.1% · median rating 1176
3 solver moves
16.8% · median rating 1696
4 solver moves
3.2% · median rating 2191
5+ solver moves
1.1% · median rating 2260

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
52.6%
Key move by a bishop
21.2%
Key move by a knight
16.4%
Key move by a rook
8.8%
Key move by a pawn
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
46.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
17.9%
Most valuable capture: rook
12.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
11.3%
Captures nothing along the line
6.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
5%

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)
21.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
44.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
13%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
17.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
16%
21–27 pieces
82%
13–20 pieces
2%
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 (40.1%), g7 (13.2%), f6 (10.6%), e8 (8.6%), f7 (6.1%).

1.28.61.71.18
6.113.240.17
1.310.64.52.76
1.111.45
14
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♞♝♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♙♟
♝♙♙♘♛
♕♙
♙♙♔♗
♖♗
White to move · rating 961 · solved 15,589 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: O-O

Solution: Nf6+ → Qxf6 → exf6

♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟
♗♜♞♟
♟♕
♟♙
♙
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1068 · solved 1,729 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd6

Solution: Rxe1+ → Rxe1 → Qxf5

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝♟
♙♞
♙♘♖♘♛
♙♙
♖♗♕♗♔
Black to move · rating 1158 · solved 2,350 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf1

Solution: Bh2+ → Nxh2 → Qxh2#

♜♝♚
♟♛♟♘
♞♟♕♜
♟♟♙
♙
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1256 · solved 1,854 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg8

Solution: Nf6+ → Kh8 → Qe8#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♛♟♙♞
♙♙♟
♙♘
♙♕♗♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1291 · solved 2,605 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd2

Solution: Ng3+ → hxg3 → hxg3+ → Nh2 → Rxh2#

♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♝♟
♙♟
♙♙♙♞
♘♙♗♛
♙♙
♖♗♕♔
Black to move · rating 1353 · solved 2,022 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf1

Solution: Nf3+ → Kh1 → Qxh2#

♜♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♘♜♟
♙
♙♕
♙
♛♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1481 · solved 3,018 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd6

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Qh4#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♞♟
♞♟♙
♟♙
♛
♙
♙♙
♖♗♕♔♘♖
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 1759 · solved 869 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bh5

Solution: Qxg7#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♛♟
♟♟
♙♟♞♕
♘
♙♟
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
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 2030 · solved 328 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Rxg2+ → Kxg2 → Nxc3+

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♗
♞♛♟
♟
♞
♘♘♙
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2243 · solved 334 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h3

Solution: Nd4 → hxg4 → Nxe2+

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 tacticsForkDiscovered attackSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Kingside attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelFoundation levelDeveloping level