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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Pirc Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1388 · solved 24,926,834 times

Opening: Pirc Defence

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Pirc Defence: 13,659 puzzles, median rating 1388, solved 24,926,834 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 Pirc Defence

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Pirc Defence games: the numbers

There are 13,659 middlegame tactics puzzles from Pirc Defence games, solved 24,926,834 times in total. The median rating is 1388.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,275 · 38.6%
Developing
3,414 · 25%
Challenging
2,855 · 20.9%
Advanced
2,115 · 15.5%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,611Mate in 1 · 3,317Kingside attack · 2,367Fork · 1,875Mate in 2 · 1,046Sacrifice · 1,006Discovered attack · 961Pin · 957

Which openings produce them?

Pirc Defence · 13,659

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 Pirc Defence games (14.6% of all 13,659).

26.4% need 1 solver move, 48.5% need 2 solver moves, 20.9% need 3 solver moves, 3.4% need 4 solver moves, 0.7% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 873 for the shortest solutions, 2356 for the longest.

38.3% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 54.7% and gives check in 59.2%; 35% end in checkmate, 22.6% involve a sacrifice, 61.6% have White to move.

54.7%first move captures
59.2%first move gives check
35%end in checkmate
22.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.4% · median rating 873
2 solver moves
48.5% · median rating 1412
3 solver moves
20.9% · median rating 1745
4 solver moves
3.4% · median rating 2031
5+ solver moves
0.7% · median rating 2356

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
38.3%
Key move by a knight
23.5%
Key move by a bishop
18.3%
Key move by a rook
12.6%
Key move by a pawn
6.2%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
30%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17%
Captures nothing along the line
15.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12.5%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.6%

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)
22.9%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
22%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19.5%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
19.6%
21–27 pieces
78.6%
13–20 pieces
1.8%
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 (7.9%), f7 (7.9%), h7 (6.5%), d8 (5.4%), g7 (4.6%).

5.41.61.68
2.21.21.43.57.94.66.57
2.11.72.67.92.53.46
1.21.22.93.92.13.82.55
2.322.312.14
11.53
1.32
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 949 · solved 2,061 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxh7

Solution: Qxh7#

♜
♟♟♟♚
♟♕♟
♟
♝♙♜♝
♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 951 · solved 2,479 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg6

Solution: Bxf2+ → Kh2 → Rh4#

♚♜♜
♟♟♞♖♟♟
♛
♗♟♟
♟
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 1182 · solved 2,178 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rhe8

Solution: Bxd7+ → Rxd7 → Rxe8+

♜♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♝♚
♞♘♟♟
♙♗
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1302 · solved 3,666 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f5

Solution: Bxf5#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟
♟♟
♝
♙♞♟♘
♙
♙♙♕♘♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1369 · solved 2,957 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc4

Solution: Nxc5 → Nxd2 → Nxd7

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♘
♞♟♛
♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1420 · solved 3,295 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe6

Solution: Rxe6 → Rxe6 → Nf4 → Qf3 → Nxe6

♜♚
♟♛♞♟♕♟
♝♟♖♟
♟
♞
♙♘♗♜
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1424 · solved 3,094 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf3

Solution: Qxe7#

♜♜♚♝
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♛♟♗
♙
♞♕
♗♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1646 · solved 1,108 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg4

Solution: Qxb2#

♜♝♜
♟♟♚♟♕♟
♞♟♟
♗♞
♘♔
♙♙♙♙♛♙
♖♗♖
White to move · rating 1666 · solved 1,022 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxg5

Solution: Qxe7#

♜♞♝♜♚
♟♟♝♟
♟
♟♘
♛♙
♗
♙♙♙
♖♘♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1737 · solved 1,342 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Bc4+ → Qxc4 → Nxc4

♜♞♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟
♛♙
♖
♙♙♙♗♝♕♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2026 · solved 354 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe2

Solution: Bc3 → Qxc3+ → bxc3

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♟♟♝♖
♙
♙
♛
♙♙♗♙
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 2037 · solved 380 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Rxg7+ → Kxg7 → Bh6+ → Kxh6 → Qxd4

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