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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Philidor Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1365 · solved 33,486,234 times

Opening: Philidor Defence

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Philidor Defence: 17,048 puzzles, median rating 1365, solved 33,486,234 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 Philidor Defence

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Philidor Defence games: the numbers

There are 17,048 middlegame tactics puzzles from Philidor Defence games, solved 33,486,234 times in total. The median rating is 1365.

How hard are they?

Foundation
6,712 · 39.4%
Developing
4,440 · 26%
Challenging
3,521 · 20.7%
Advanced
2,375 · 13.9%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 5,664Mate in 1 · 3,851Kingside attack · 3,292Fork · 2,363Mate in 2 · 1,477Discovered attack · 1,418Pin · 1,367Sacrifice · 1,109Hanging piece · 744

Which openings produce them?

Philidor Defence · 17,048

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 Philidor Defence games (11.7% of all 17,048).

23.6% need 1 solver move, 51.8% need 2 solver moves, 20.4% need 3 solver moves, 3.6% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 865 for the shortest solutions, 2563 for the longest.

41.1% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 54% and gives check in 58.8%; 34.2% end in checkmate, 21.2% involve a sacrifice, 59.9% have White to move.

54%first move captures
58.8%first move gives check
34.2%end in checkmate
21.2%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
23.6% · median rating 865
2 solver moves
51.8% · median rating 1395
3 solver moves
20.4% · median rating 1793
4 solver moves
3.6% · median rating 2139
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2563

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
41.1%
Key move by a knight
20.2%
Key move by a bishop
18.3%
Key move by a rook
12.2%
Key move by a pawn
7.2%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
16.8%
Captures nothing along the line
15.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
13.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
12.5%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.8%

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)
22.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8.9%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
12.8%
21–27 pieces
85%
13–20 pieces
2.2%
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: h7 (7.4%), f7 (6.7%), g7 (6%), f6 (5.8%), e7 (4.3%).

4.13.71.18
1.11.22.34.36.767.47
1.61.92.15.82.42.86
1.31.33.43.41.83.31.55
2.52.53.31.52.914
1.71.13
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 929 · solved 2,902 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg2

Solution: Qxh3+ → Kg1 → Qxg2#

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♕♟♟
♛♟♖♞
♟♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 1081 · solved 1,776 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc6

Solution: Nf7#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♝♗♟
♟♕♟
♞♙
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1191 · solved 1,578 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Rxh6+ → gxh6 → Qxh6#

♜♜♚
♟♟♝♟♞
♟♞♝♟
♘
♗
♙♙♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♛♖♔
White to move · rating 1346 · solved 2,943 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd1

Solution: Nxg6#

♜♝♛♚♜
♟♟♞♝♟
♟♟♗♟
♟♕
♙♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1355 · solved 2,777 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe8

Solution: Qxh6#

♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♞
♘♝
♞♗
♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1357 · solved 3,513 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c3

Solution: Nd3+ → Kd2 → Nxf4

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟♟
♝♟♙♟♕
♙♖
♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1438 · solved 6,382 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh4#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟
♘♞
♙
♗♖
♙♙♙♛♙♙
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 1628 · solved 2,443 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qh5#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♘♕
♙♛
♖
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1846 · solved 1,487 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3+ → Qh4 → Rxh4#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♞♟
♟♟♙
♟♟♕
♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1848 · solved 1,121 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Qxg6+ → Kh8 → Qg7#

♜♞♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♝♗
♛
♟♘
♙♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2398 · solved 243 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd5

Solution: O-O-O → Kf8 → Qxf6

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♘
♖
♗♗
♙♙♙♙
♝♘♔
White to move · rating 2426 · solved 413 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Nf7+ → Kd7 → Ba4+ → b5 → Bxb5+ → c6 → Re7#

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