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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1385 · solved 113,407,659 times

Opening: French Defence

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 61,626 puzzles, median rating 1385, solved 113,407,659 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 middlegame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet About the French Defence

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 61,626 middlegame tactics puzzles from French Defence games, solved 113,407,659 times in total. The median rating is 1385.

How hard are they?

Foundation
23,892 · 38.8%
Developing
14,940 · 24.2%
Challenging
13,055 · 21.2%
Advanced
9,739 · 15.8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 20,681Mate in 1 · 14,417Kingside attack · 13,578Fork · 7,005Discovered attack · 5,265Mate in 2 · 5,001Sacrifice · 4,271Pin · 3,772

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 61,626

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical middlegame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 middlegame tactics puzzles from French Defence games (3.2% of all 61,626).

22.4% need 1 solver move, 54.2% need 2 solver moves, 19.2% need 3 solver moves, 3.3% need 4 solver moves, 0.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 878 for the shortest solutions, 2308 for the longest.

39.4% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 52.6% and gives check in 59.3%; 33.6% end in checkmate, 22.7% involve a sacrifice, 64.6% have White to move.

52.6%first move captures
59.3%first move gives check
33.6%end in checkmate
22.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
22.4% · median rating 878
2 solver moves
54.2% · median rating 1417
3 solver moves
19.2% · median rating 1780
4 solver moves
3.3% · median rating 2169
5+ solver moves
0.9% · median rating 2308

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.4%
Key move by a knight
21.4%
Key move by a bishop
19.7%
Key move by a rook
12.2%
Key move by a pawn
6.2%
Key move by the king
1.1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30%
Most valuable capture: pawn
16.2%
Captures nothing along the line
16%
Most valuable capture: rook
13.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
13.3%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.9%

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)
23.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
20.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
21.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
13.7%
21–27 pieces
83.4%
13–20 pieces
2.8%
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 (14.1%), f6 (6%), f7 (4.8%), g7 (4.6%), e8 (4.6%).

2.14.61.218
11.72.84.84.614.17
3.41.43.463.11.46
2.213.32.72.62.82.15
1.61.11.21.51.91.624
11.23
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved middlegame tactics 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

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

Opponent's last move: Kh7

Solution: Qxg7#

♝♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♟♖
♝
♕
♙♘
♙♙♙
♛♗♔♖
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#

♜♚♜
♟♛♝♟♟♟
♟♞
♕♟
♙
♖
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔
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 1339 · solved 3,484 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg4

Solution: Qxa8 → Bxd1 → Rxd1

♜♚♞♜
♟♝♝♟♟
♟♟
♛
♕
♘♗
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1475 · solved 3,370 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Bd4 → Qf5 → Qxf5 → gxf5 → Bxh8

♜♛♜
♟♟♟♚♗
♞♝♟
♞♟♙♟
♝♕
♘
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1622 · solved 1,602 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6

Solution: Qh6#

♜♝♜♞♚
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟♘♙
♗
♙♙♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
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 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 2039 · solved 682 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Qxe5+ → Nxe5 → Re1 → Ne7 → Rxe5

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟♗
♗
♛
♞♕
♙♙♙♝♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2060 · solved 477 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg2+

Solution: Kxg2 → Qe4+ → Bxe4

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

CheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level