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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the King's Pawn Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1332 · solved 23,015,411 times

Opening: King's Pawn Game

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the King's Pawn Game: 10,322 puzzles, median rating 1332, solved 23,015,411 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 King's Pawn Game

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from King's Pawn Game games: the numbers

There are 10,322 middlegame tactics puzzles from King's Pawn Game games, solved 23,015,411 times in total. The median rating is 1332.

How hard are they?

Foundation
4,384 · 42.5%
Developing
2,439 · 23.6%
Challenging
1,970 · 19.1%
Advanced
1,529 · 14.8%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 3,888Mate in 1 · 2,606Kingside attack · 1,715Fork · 1,414Mate in 2 · 1,023Pin · 839Discovered attack · 748Sacrifice · 679

Which openings produce them?

King's Pawn Game · 10,322

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 King's Pawn Game games (19.4% of all 10,322).

23.5% need 1 solver move, 50.3% need 2 solver moves, 21.8% need 3 solver moves, 3.4% need 4 solver moves, 1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 869 for the shortest solutions, 2482 for the longest.

40.8% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 48.6% and gives check in 61.7%; 36.2% end in checkmate, 21.2% involve a sacrifice, 48.8% have White to move.

48.6%first move captures
61.7%first move gives check
36.2%end in checkmate
21.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
23.5% · median rating 869
2 solver moves
50.3% · median rating 1354
3 solver moves
21.8% · median rating 1795
4 solver moves
3.4% · median rating 2092
5+ solver moves
1% · median rating 2482

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
40.8%
Key move by a knight
21%
Key move by a bishop
17.2%
Key move by a rook
13.5%
Key move by a pawn
6.4%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30.4%
Captures nothing along the line
18.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
16%
Most valuable capture: rook
13.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.6%

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)
24.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
19.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
24.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
10%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
16.6%
21–27 pieces
80.1%
13–20 pieces
3.2%
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: f7 (8.1%), h7 (6%), f6 (5.4%), g5 (4.3%), g7 (4.3%).

13.93.52.38
11.41.93.38.14.367
1.92.13.15.42.42.86
1.73.53.21.84.335
21.71.93.11.24
11.213
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 803 · solved 1,460 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b6

Solution: Ba6+ → Qb7 → Bxb7+

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♟♝♞
♟♟
♙
♙♛♙♙♙
♙♕♗♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1012 · solved 1,584 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd2

Solution: Qa1#

♜♞♜
♟♚♟
♟♟♟♟
♟♛♕
♙♗
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1199 · solved 1,423 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Qxh7#

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♞♟♟
♗♛
♟♟
♙
♙♕♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1281 · solved 1,794 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb8

Solution: Bb7+ → Rxb7 → Qxb7#

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♟♙♟
♝♟♞♟
♘
♕♛
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1370 · solved 2,609 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Ng6#

♜♚♘
♟♟♟♗♕
♟
♟♝
♛♗♞
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1436 · solved 1,760 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxh7

Solution: Qxd4+ → Kf1 → Qf2#

♜♛♜♚
♟♘♟♟
♟♞♟♝♞
♟
♙♙♟♗
♙♙
♙♙♙♙♘
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1445 · solved 2,140 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc7

Solution: Bxg4 → Qxg4 → Qxc7

♜♞♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
♛
♗♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1636 · solved 462 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Qxf7+ → Rxf7 → Re8#

♜♝♜♚
♟♞♞♟♟♟
♘
♖
♙♕♗♛
♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1691 · solved 1,036 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxf3

Solution: Nxe7+ → Kh8 → Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh4+ → Qh5 → Rxh5#

♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♙
♕♝♛
♙♝
♗♘♗♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1802 · solved 636 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd2

Solution: Qxh1+ → Bf1 → Qxf1#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♝♞♟
♙♟♘
♗
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 2224 · solved 316 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh6

Solution: Nxf6+ → Bxf6 → Qe4 → Re8 → Bxh6 → Bg7 → Qh7+

♜♞♚♜
♟♟♖♟
♙♞♟
♗♝
♙♙
♙♙♕♙♙
♛♘♔
White to move · rating 2275 · solved 335 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa1

Solution: cxb7 → Qxb1+ → Qf1 → Qxb7 → Rxb7

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level