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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Modern Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1425 · solved 27,356,251 times

Opening: Modern Defense

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Modern Defense: 13,941 puzzles, median rating 1425, solved 27,356,251 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 Modern Defense

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Modern Defense games: the numbers

There are 13,941 middlegame tactics puzzles from Modern Defense games, solved 27,356,251 times in total. The median rating is 1425.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,036 · 36.1%
Developing
3,521 · 25.3%
Challenging
3,128 · 22.4%
Advanced
2,256 · 16.2%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,339Mate in 1 · 3,059Fork · 2,010Kingside attack · 2,007Mate in 2 · 1,023Pin · 965Discovered attack · 951Sacrifice · 949

Which openings produce them?

Modern Defense · 13,941

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 Modern Defense games (14.3% of all 13,941).

24.2% need 1 solver move, 49.5% need 2 solver moves, 21.8% need 3 solver moves, 3.9% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 892 for the shortest solutions, 2304 for the longest.

38.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 52.4% and gives check in 56%; 32.6% end in checkmate, 18.6% involve a sacrifice, 62.4% have White to move.

52.4%first move captures
56%first move gives check
32.6%end in checkmate
18.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
24.2% · median rating 892
2 solver moves
49.5% · median rating 1464
3 solver moves
21.8% · median rating 1810
4 solver moves
3.9% · median rating 2018
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 2304

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
38.6%
Key move by a knight
21.6%
Key move by a bishop
19.5%
Key move by a rook
11.1%
Key move by a pawn
8.2%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
29.3%
Captures nothing along the line
17%
Most valuable capture: pawn
14.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
14.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
12.2%

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)
23.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
19.1%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
29.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8.3%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
22%
21–27 pieces
75.9%
13–20 pieces
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: f6 (6.8%), f7 (6%), g7 (5.5%), h7 (4.9%), d8 (4.1%).

4.11.81.11.48
2.11.91.73.165.54.97
1.42.61.83.56.82.93.26
1.81.43.63.92.22.91.55
1.52.131.124
1.21.11.53
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.

♜♜♚
♝♟♟♝♟
♟♛♟♞♟
♟♗
♙♙♙♘♙
♙♘♕♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 809 · solved 1,860 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rbc1

Solution: Qxg2#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝
♟♟♟
♞♘♘
♙
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1072 · solved 10,014 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf5

Solution: Nf6+ → Bxf6 → Qh7#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♝♟
♟
♘♙♟
♙
♗♛
♙♙♙♝
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1196 · solved 1,334 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh5

Solution: Nxc7+ → Kf8 → Qxd8#

♜♜
♟♟♟♟♕♝♚
♛♞♟
♟
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♞♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1270 · solved 2,315 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rhf8

Solution: Qg6+ → Kh8 → Nf5

♜♜
♟♟♟♝♟
♞♘♚♟
♗♗♟♞
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1289 · solved 2,717 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf5

Solution: Ne4#

♜♚
♟♟♟♖
♞♟♟♟
♘♝
♙
♙♙♝
♙♙♛♙♘
♖♔
White to move · rating 1310 · solved 2,346 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd2

Solution: Rxf8+ → Kh7 → R1f7+ → Bg7 → Nf6#

♜♝♛
♟♟♜♟♚
♟♞♟♟
♗♟♘
♙♕♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1386 · solved 1,810 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: dxe5

Solution: fxe5 → Rxe5 → Qxe5

♜♛♜♚
♟♞♟♝♟
♟♟
♙
♖♙♙
♘♗♙
♙♙♕♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1626 · solved 1,052 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxa4

Solution: Bxc3 → Rxa8 → Bxd2 → Rxd8 → Rxd8

♜♜♚
♟♝♛♟♟
♟♟
♟♘
♗♝
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1686 · solved 910 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd4+

Solution: Qxd4 → cxd4 → Nf6+ → Kg7 → Nxd7

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♟
♗♙♞
♙♘♕♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1993 · solved 908 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nh4

Solution: Rxe8+ → Qxe8 → Bg5

♜♝♜
♟♟♟♟♚
♞♛♟♟
♘♞
♙♗♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 2117 · solved 573 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Nxf4 → Ne4 → h5

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♞♕♟
♟♟♝♟
♟
♗♙♗
♘♙♛
♙♙♙♘♙♙
♖♞♔
White to move · rating 2147 · solved 1,291 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf6

Solution: Qxf8+ → Nxf8 → Bxf6#

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