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Pin Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1606 · solved 12,568,103 times

Opening: French Defence

These pin puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 4,761 puzzles, median rating 1606, solved 12,568,103 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.

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By the numbers

pin puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 4,761 pin puzzles from French Defence games, solved 12,568,103 times in total. The median rating is 1606.

How hard are they?

Foundation
960 · 20.2%
Developing
1,391 · 29.2%
Challenging
1,319 · 27.7%
Advanced
1,091 · 22.9%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 3,772Opening tactics · 945Kingside attack · 619Sacrifice · 574Checkmate · 574Mate in 1 · 297Discovered attack · 279

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 4,761

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical pin solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 pin puzzles from French Defence games (42% of all 4,761).

6.2% need 1 solver move, 59.4% need 2 solver moves, 27.2% need 3 solver moves, 5% need 4 solver moves, 2.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1221 for the shortest solutions, 2559 for the longest.

32.2% open with a bishop move. The first move captures in 41.1% and gives check in 39.8%; 12.2% end in checkmate, 33% involve a sacrifice, 60.7% have White to move.

41.1%first move captures
39.8%first move gives check
12.2%end in checkmate
33%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
6.2% · median rating 1221
2 solver moves
59.4% · median rating 1416
3 solver moves
27.2% · median rating 1819
4 solver moves
5% · median rating 2251
5+ solver moves
2.2% · median rating 2559

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a bishop
32.2%
Key move by a knight
24.8%
Key move by a queen
21.9%
Key move by a rook
15%
Key move by a pawn
5.4%
Key move by the king
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
45.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
13.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
10.9%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
9.4%
Captures nothing along the line
9.4%

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)
20.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
13%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
23.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
24.9%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
18.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
20.8%
21–27 pieces
75.8%
13–20 pieces
3.5%
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: f6 (7.8%), b5 (7%), g6 (6.5%), f5 (5.4%), c4 (5.3%).

1.428
111.24.51.77
1.72.51.45.37.86.53.96
75.22.85.42.24.25
1.21.45.31.41.33.34
1.13
2
1.31
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved pin 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 1189 · solved 1,101 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f6

Solution: Qh5+ → g6 → Nxg6 → hxg6 → Qxh8

♜♚♝♞♜
♟♝♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟
♙♞♗
♘♘
♙♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1197 · solved 2,155 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg5

Solution: Nxf3+ → gxf3 → Qxg5

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

Opponent's last move: Kg8

Solution: Nf6+ → Kh8 → Qe8#

♜♝
♟♟♟♟♚
♝♞♟
♛♕
♗
♘♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1259 · solved 1,370 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf5

Solution: Ng5+ → Qxg5 → Bxg5

♜♚♜
♟♝♟
♟♛♟♟♟
♙♟
♙♕♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1408 · solved 1,633 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd3

Solution: Qxf3 → Qxf3 → Bxf3

♜♛♜♚
♟♟
♟♞♙♟
♟♝
♕♙
♙♗♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1497 · solved 2,744 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: exf6

Solution: Re8 → O-O-O → Rxe4

♜♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♛♟♞
♙
♕
♘
♗♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1604 · solved 659 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nh6

Solution: Rxd7 → Kxd7 → Bb5

♜♛♜♝♚
♟♝♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♘
♙
♙♞♕
♙♗♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1615 · solved 714 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd3

Solution: Nh6+ → Kh8 → Nxf7+

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

Opponent's last move: Bh5

Solution: Qxg7#

♜♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♛
♟♕
♙♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
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 2280 · solved 259 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd8

Solution: Bxd7+ → Rxd7 → Qa4 → Qxe5+ → Ne4

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 attackMate in 2SacrificeAttraction

Same theme, other levels

Pin puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level