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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Indian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1381 · solved 45,453,756 times

Opening: Indian Defence

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Indian Defence: 25,511 puzzles, median rating 1381, solved 45,453,756 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 Indian Defence

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Indian Defence games: the numbers

There are 25,511 middlegame tactics puzzles from Indian Defence games, solved 45,453,756 times in total. The median rating is 1381.

How hard are they?

Foundation
10,066 · 39.5%
Developing
6,144 · 24.1%
Challenging
5,494 · 21.5%
Advanced
3,807 · 14.9%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 8,802Mate in 1 · 6,388Kingside attack · 5,467Fork · 3,165Mate in 2 · 1,946Discovered attack · 1,944Sacrifice · 1,794Pin · 1,543

Which openings produce them?

Indian Defence · 25,511

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 Indian Defence games (7.8% of all 25,511).

26.8% need 1 solver move, 48.4% need 2 solver moves, 20.6% need 3 solver moves, 3.2% need 4 solver moves, 0.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 851 for the shortest solutions, 2424 for the longest.

39.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.8% and gives check in 57.6%; 35.2% end in checkmate, 20.7% involve a sacrifice, 56.6% have White to move.

53.8%first move captures
57.6%first move gives check
35.2%end in checkmate
20.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.8% · median rating 851
2 solver moves
48.4% · median rating 1460
3 solver moves
20.6% · median rating 1815
4 solver moves
3.2% · median rating 2072
5+ solver moves
0.9% · median rating 2424

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
39.8%
Key move by a knight
20.4%
Key move by a bishop
19%
Key move by a rook
12.2%
Key move by a pawn
7.4%
Key move by the king
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
27.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18.4%
Captures nothing along the line
17%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
12.1%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.7%

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)
25.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.1%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
21.4%
21–27 pieces
76.6%
13–20 pieces
1.9%
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 (12.2%), g7 (6.4%), f6 (6.2%), f7 (5.4%), c6 (3.4%).

1.42.61.21.21.58
1.51.51.82.65.46.412.27
3.42.22.96.23.12.66
2.112.53.21.33.31.95
2.11.81.33.11.54
1.111.23
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 920 · solved 8,046 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg6

Solution: Qxh7#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♛
♙♖♙
♟♙
♙♙♘
♖♘♕♔♗
Black to move · rating 1058 · solved 7,698 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe4

Solution: Qxg3#

♜♞♛♜♚
♟♝♝♟
♟♟♟
♗♞
♙
♙
♙♙♕♘♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1070 · solved 2,107 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe6

Solution: Rxg6+ → fxg6 → Qxg6+ → Ng7 → Qxg7#

♜♝♚
♟♟♟
♟
♟♛
♕♞♙
♘♔
♙♙♙♙♗
♖♖
Black to move · rating 1365 · solved 2,133 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa4

Solution: Nh2#

♜♝♞♜♚
♟♟♛♟♝
♟
♙♘♗♙♟
♙♟
♕♙
♙♗♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1375 · solved 2,484 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb5

Solution: Qxc5 → Qa3 → Qxa3

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♟♙♟♘
♙♗♞♛
♙♘
♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1454 · solved 2,143 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ndf3

Solution: Qg4+ → Kh1 → Qg2#

♜♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♟♟
♞♕
♙♗
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1501 · solved 4,493 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Rxg2+ → Kh1 → Rg5+ → f3 → Rxh5

♜♜♚
♟♝♟♝♟♟♟
♟♟
♛♗
♙
♙♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1640 · solved 2,242 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd5

Solution: Bf3 → Qxf3 → gxf3

♜♝♛♚♝♜
♟♟♞
♟♟
♟♟♟♘♕
♙
♙♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♔♖
White to move · rating 1753 · solved 1,592 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg6

Solution: Qxg6+ → Ke7 → Qxe6#

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟♝♟♟♟
♞♟
♗♕
♛
♘♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1840 · solved 875 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e6

Solution: Qxd7+ → Kxd7 → Ne5+ → Ke7 → Nxg4

♜♚♝♜
♟♝♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♙
♘♕♗
♛♙♙♙♙
♘♖♔
White to move · rating 2067 · solved 633 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qb2

Solution: Nc4 → Qxc2 → Nxd6+

♜♛♜♚
♝♝♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♟♘
♙♗
♙♖♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2249 · solved 613 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f6

Solution: Qxg7+ → Kxg7 → Rg3+ → Kh8 → Nf7#

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 Indian Defence

Opening tactics

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level