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Mate in 2 Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1136 · solved 13,006,113 times

Opening: French Defence

These mate in 2 puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 6,177 puzzles, median rating 1136, solved 13,006,113 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 mate in 2 puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

mate in 2 puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 6,177 mate in 2 puzzles from French Defence games, solved 13,006,113 times in total. The median rating is 1136.

How hard are they?

Foundation
3,709 · 60%
Developing
1,712 · 27.7%
Challenging
658 · 10.7%
Advanced
98 · 1.6%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 6,177Middlegame tactics · 5,001Kingside attack · 3,186Opening tactics · 991Sacrifice · 880Back-rank mate · 500Discovered attack · 316Queenside attack · 307Fork · 291Discovered check · 223

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 6,177

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 2 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 2 puzzles from French Defence games (32.4% of all 6,177).

100% need 2 solver moves. Median rating: 1137 for the shortest solutions, 1137 for the longest.

52.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 36.2% and gives check in 99.9%; 100% end in checkmate, 28% involve a sacrifice, 67.8% have White to move.

36.2%first move captures
99.9%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
28%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
100% · median rating 1137

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
52.2%
Key move by a bishop
17.4%
Key move by a knight
17.2%
Key move by a rook
12%
Key move by a pawn
1.1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
28.6%
Captures nothing along the line
28.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
17.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
15.1%
Most valuable capture: queen
6.5%
Most valuable capture: bishop
4.4%

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)
48.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
27.1%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
8.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
12.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
13.1%
21–27 pieces
80.7%
13–20 pieces
6.2%
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 (19.7%), f6 (11.6%), e8 (11.5%), f7 (10%), d8 (6.6%).

1.66.611.52.41.68
1.11.2101.219.77
1.51.21.32.111.65.53.46
1.14.45
1.44
13
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 2 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟♟
♟♙♞
♛♟
♙♟
♙♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
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#

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

Opponent's last move: fxg5

Solution: Qxg5+ → Kd6 → Nb5#

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

Opponent's last move: Ng6

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Bh6#

♜♞♝♚♝♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟
♞
♗♘♙♙
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1400 · solved 2,149 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nge2

Solution: Nf3+ → Kf1 → Bh3#

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

Opponent's last move: Rd6

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Qh4#

♜♞
♟♟♟♕♟
♟♚♟♟
♝
♙♙♛
♙♘
♙♔♙♙
♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1633 · solved 949 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf3

Solution: Qf2+ → Kd1 → Bc2#

♜♚♜
♟♟♝♞♟♟♟
♛♞♟
♝♟♙
♘
♙♘
♙♗♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1648 · solved 1,022 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Na4

Solution: Bxf2+ → Kd2 → Qe3#

♜♞♝♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟
♟♟
♘
♗♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1729 · solved 758 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh8

Solution: Ng6+ → hxg6 → Qh4#

♜♛♜
♝♞♝♚♞
♟♟♟♗
♟♕♟
♙
♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2026 · solved 75 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxf7

Solution: Qg7+ → Ke8 → Qg6#

♜♜♚
♟♝♛♝♟
♟♟♟♟
♞♘♘
♞♙♙
♕
♙♙♗♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 2285 · solved 649 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f6

Solution: Bh7+ → Kh8 → Ng6#

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 attackSacrificePinAttraction

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 2 puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level