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Opening tactics Puzzles from the Philidor Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1345 · solved 12,572,249 times

Opening: Philidor Defence

These opening tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Philidor Defence: 5,345 puzzles, median rating 1345, solved 12,572,249 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 opening tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

opening tactics puzzles from Philidor Defence games: the numbers

There are 5,345 opening tactics puzzles from Philidor Defence games, solved 12,572,249 times in total. The median rating is 1345.

How hard are they?

Foundation
2,070 · 38.7%
Developing
1,639 · 30.7%
Challenging
1,036 · 19.4%
Advanced
600 · 11.2%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 1,838Mate in 1 · 1,353Fork · 691Kingside attack · 679Attacks on f2 / f7 · 580Discovered attack · 442Mate in 2 · 435Hanging piece · 294Pin · 287

Which openings produce them?

Philidor Defence · 5,345

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical opening tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 opening tactics puzzles from Philidor Defence games (37.4% of all 5,345).

23.7% need 1 solver move, 56.8% need 2 solver moves, 16.7% need 3 solver moves, 2.4% need 4 solver moves. Median rating: 902 for the shortest solutions, 2058 for the longest.

38.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 57.8% and gives check in 58.6%; 33.3% end in checkmate, 14.4% involve a sacrifice, 61.8% have White to move.

57.8%first move captures
58.6%first move gives check
33.3%end in checkmate
14.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
23.7% · median rating 902
2 solver moves
56.8% · median rating 1393
3 solver moves
16.7% · median rating 1778
4 solver moves
2.4% · median rating 2058

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
38.6%
Key move by a bishop
25.5%
Key move by a knight
23.5%
Key move by a pawn
7.1%
Key move by a rook
3%
Key move by the king
2.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
23.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
18.3%
Captures nothing along the line
16.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
16.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
6.4%

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
22.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
31.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16.9%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
57.8%
21–27 pieces
42.2%
13–20 pieces
0%
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 (17.8%), f6 (5.8%), h7 (5.3%), d5 (4.7%), e6 (4.1%).

4.11.38
1.13.117.83.25.37
2.31.34.15.82.61.46
2.54.73.31.232.95
2.82.53.42.711.94
1.13
2.42
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved opening tactics puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♞♕♛♝♞♜
♟♚♗♟
♟♟♟♟
♟♙
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 939 · solved 1,810 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke7

Solution: Qe6#

♜♛♝♜
♟♟♟♚♟♟
♟♞
♕
♞♙
♗♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1026 · solved 1,853 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg5

Solution: Nxf3+ → Ke2 → Nxg5

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♕
♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♗♖
White to move · rating 1104 · solved 2,222 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g6

Solution: Qxe5+ → Qe7 → Qxh8

♜♝♞♜
♟♚♟♟
♞♟♛
♘♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♖♔
White to move · rating 1272 · solved 1,560 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: e5

Solution: Qg4+ → Qe6 → Qxe6+ → Kxe6 → Nxc7+

♜♞♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♟
♗♙
♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♗♝♔♖
White to move · rating 1284 · solved 4,677 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd1

Solution: Bf7+ → Ke7 → Bg5#

♜♞♚♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♟♟
♘
♗♛
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♝♔
White to move · rating 1330 · solved 2,097 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe4

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kf8 → Qd8#

♚♜♝♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟
♞♟♟
♗♘
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1400 · solved 2,980 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: O-O-O

Solution: Be6 → Qxe6 → Nxe6

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♝
♗♛
♙♗♘♙♙
♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1680 · solved 703 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h3

Solution: Qxh3+ → Rxh3 → Bxh3#

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♛♝♟♟♟
♞♞
♘♟
♙♗♙♗♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1740 · solved 486 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Nxd5 → Bxd5 → Qa5+

♜♞♛♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟
♟♞
♟♘♝
♙
♕♙
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1943 · solved 426 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf5

Solution: Qxb7 → Nbd7 → Nxc6 → Qc8 → Qxc8+

♜♝♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♞♟♟
♙♟
♟
♗♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 2179 · solved 231 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxb5

Solution: Bxf7+ → Kxf7 → Qd5+ → Ke8 → Qh5+ → g6 → Qxg6#

♜♝♜♚
♛♞♝♟♟
♟♟
♟♘♞
♙♟♙
♗♗
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♘♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2653 · solved 162 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe5

Solution: Nxg3 → Bxf7+ → Kf8 → Nxd7+ → Kxf7

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 Philidor Defence

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateFork

Same theme, other levels

Opening tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level