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Checkmate Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 946 · solved 28,180,048 times

Opening: French Defence

These checkmate puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 26,195 puzzles, median rating 946, solved 28,180,048 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 checkmate puzzles Print a worksheet About the French Defence

By the numbers

checkmate puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 26,195 checkmate puzzles from French Defence games, solved 28,180,048 times in total. The median rating is 946.

How hard are they?

Foundation
20,058 · 76.6%
Developing
4,331 · 16.5%
Challenging
1,425 · 5.4%
Advanced
381 · 1.5%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 20,681Mate in 1 · 18,497Kingside attack · 9,994Mate in 2 · 6,177Opening tactics · 5,069Sacrifice · 1,654Mate in 3 · 1,234Back-rank mate · 1,173Attacks on f2 / f7 · 971Hanging piece · 970

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 26,195

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical checkmate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 checkmate puzzles from French Defence games (7.6% of all 26,195).

70% need 1 solver move, 24% need 2 solver moves, 4.6% need 3 solver moves, 0.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 887 for the shortest solutions, 2254 for the longest.

67.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 46.8% and gives check in 99.8%; 100% end in checkmate, 10.3% involve a sacrifice, 64.4% have White to move.

46.8%first move captures
99.8%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
10.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
70% · median rating 887
2 solver moves
24% · median rating 1139
3 solver moves
4.6% · median rating 1465
4 solver moves
0.8% · median rating 1636
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 2254

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
67.2%
Key move by a knight
13.6%
Key move by a rook
9.9%
Key move by a bishop
8.6%
Key move by a pawn
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
41.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
37.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
9.1%
Most valuable capture: knight
6%
Most valuable capture: queen
3.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.1%

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)
48.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
36.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
5.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
7.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
17.6%
21–27 pieces
77.4%
13–20 pieces
5%
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 (27.5%), f7 (12.1%), g7 (10.9%), e8 (7.6%), d8 (5.2%).

1.11.15.27.61.61.98
1.21.32.812.110.927.57
12.3254.11.66
1.22.15
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜♞♛♜
♟♝♝♞♟♟♚
♟♘
♙♟♙
♕
♙♘
♗♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1026 · solved 16,148 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Qxg7#

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♙♞
♛♟
♙♟
♙♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1067 · solved 3,601 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Qxd7+ → Kf8 → Qxf7#

♝♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♟♖
♝
♕
♙♘
♙♙♙
♛♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1138 · solved 4,132 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb1

Solution: Ba3+ → Kc2 → Qb2#

♜♛♝
♟♟♝♚
♞♟
♟♟♞♟♗
♙♕
♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 1243 · solved 3,630 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg5

Solution: Qxg5+ → Kd6 → Nb5#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♛♟♙♞
♙♙♟
♙♘
♙♕♗♙♙
♖♗♖♔
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#

♜♝♛♜
♟♟♝♚
♟♞
♟♙♕
♙
♞
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1348 · solved 3,357 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng6

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Bh6#

♜♚
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♘♜♟
♙
♙♕
♙
♛♙♙♙
♔♖♖
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 1622 · solved 1,602 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6

Solution: Qh6#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♞
♟♞♙♕
♙
♗
♙♙♙♗♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1723 · solved 1,460 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng6

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Nxh8 → Rxh8#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♛♟
♟♟
♙♟♞♕
♘
♙♟
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
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#

♜♛♜♞♚
♟♝♟♟♟♟
♟♟♝
♘♕
♙
♙♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2053 · solved 236 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf6

Solution: Bxh7+ → Nxh7 → Qxf7+ → Kh8 → Ng6#

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♞♟♟♟
♝♟♘♞
♟♕♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2111 · solved 228 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg5

Solution: Qxg5 → g6 → Qh6 → gxf5 → Nxf5 → Qb6 → Qg7#

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 tacticsOpening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Checkmate puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level