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Sacrifice Puzzles from the French Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1810 · solved 15,321,248 times

Opening: French Defence

These sacrifice puzzles were set in games that began as the French Defence: 5,369 puzzles, median rating 1810, solved 15,321,248 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 sacrifice puzzles Print a worksheet About the French Defence

By the numbers

sacrifice puzzles from French Defence games: the numbers

There are 5,369 sacrifice puzzles from French Defence games, solved 15,321,248 times in total. The median rating is 1810.

How hard are they?

Foundation
617 · 11.5%
Developing
1,061 · 19.8%
Challenging
1,816 · 33.8%
Advanced
1,875 · 34.9%

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 4,271Kingside attack · 2,228Attraction · 1,810Checkmate · 1,654Opening tactics · 1,039Mate in 2 · 880Fork · 789Mate in 3 · 600Pin · 574

Which openings produce them?

French Defence · 5,369

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical sacrifice solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 sacrifice puzzles from French Defence games (37.3% of all 5,369).

31.8% need 2 solver moves, 49.2% need 3 solver moves, 13.2% need 4 solver moves, 5.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1580 for the shortest solutions, 2368 for the longest.

28.6% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 61.3% and gives check in 63.7%; 32.1% end in checkmate, 84.4% involve a sacrifice, 74.4% have White to move.

61.3%first move captures
63.7%first move gives check
32.1%end in checkmate
84.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
31.8% · median rating 1580
3 solver moves
49.2% · median rating 1828
4 solver moves
13.2% · median rating 2135
5+ solver moves
5.8% · median rating 2368

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
28.6%
Key move by a queen
23.8%
Key move by a bishop
22.3%
Key move by a rook
21.2%
Key move by a pawn
3.2%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
30.6%
Most valuable capture: queen
27.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
12.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.8%
Captures nothing along the line
10%
Most valuable capture: bishop
8.9%

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)
65.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
15%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
11.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
20.1%
21–27 pieces
75.6%
13–20 pieces
4.4%
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 (17.3%), f7 (11%), f6 (10.2%), g6 (5%), g7 (4.5%).

1.22.81.82.68
1.33.2114.517.37
31.13.910.252.56
1.33.721.52.115
2.31.514
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved sacrifice 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 962 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: Nf6+ → gxf6 → Qh7#

♜♚
♟♕♟♟♟♟
♞
♜
♙♛
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1077 · solved 1,349 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc3

Solution: Qxa8+ → Nxa8 → Rd8+ → Re8 → Rxe8#

♜♜♚
♟♝♟♝♟♟
♟♟
♛♕
♙♘
♙♗♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1143 · solved 916 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd5

Solution: Nf6+ → gxf6 → Qh7#

♜♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♞♟
♛♟♙♞
♙♙♟
♙♘
♙♕♗♙♙
♖♗♖♔
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 1398 · solved 1,006 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Ne2+ → Bxe2 → Qxb2#

♜♛♚
♟♞♟
♟♞♟
♟♟♘
♙♙
♙♜
♙♕♙
♔♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1400 · solved 743 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg6

Solution: Rh8+ → Kxh8 → Nxf7+ → Kg8 → Nxd8

♜♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♛♟
♟♙
♘♙
♘♞
♙♕♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1512 · solved 783 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd4

Solution: Qxd4 → Qxd4 → Nc2+ → Kd2 → Nxd4

♜♞♜
♟♟♚
♟♝♟
♙♟
♙♟♛
♗♘
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1689 · solved 1,100 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd5

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1+ → Nxh1 → Rxh1#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♞
♟♞♙♕
♙
♗
♙♙♙♗♙
♔♖♖
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 2104 · solved 400 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qxf6+ → Qxf6 → Nh5+ → Kh8 → Nhxf6

♜♞♛♜
♟♟♟♝♝♟♚
♟
♟♙♙
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2257 · solved 363 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Bh6+ → Kxh6 → hxg6+ → Bh4 → g3

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 tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attack

Same theme, other levels

Sacrifice puzzles by difficulty

Foundation levelAdvanced levelChallenging levelDeveloping level