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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Queen's Gambit Declined

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1327 · solved 63,176,232 times

Opening: Queen's Gambit Declined

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Queen's Gambit Declined: 35,489 puzzles, median rating 1327, solved 63,176,232 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 Queen's Gambit Declined

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Queen's Gambit Declined games: the numbers

There are 35,489 middlegame tactics puzzles from Queen's Gambit Declined games, solved 63,176,232 times in total. The median rating is 1327.

How hard are they?

Foundation
15,070 · 42.5%
Developing
8,673 · 24.4%
Challenging
6,901 · 19.4%
Advanced
4,845 · 13.7%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 12,730Mate in 1 · 9,656Kingside attack · 7,570Fork · 4,380Discovered attack · 2,859Mate in 2 · 2,591Sacrifice · 2,098Pin · 1,863

Which openings produce them?

Queen's Gambit Declined · 35,489

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 Queen's Gambit Declined games (5.6% of all 35,489).

25.8% need 1 solver move, 51.2% need 2 solver moves, 19% need 3 solver moves, 2.9% need 4 solver moves, 1.1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 829 for the shortest solutions, 2404 for the longest.

41% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.5% and gives check in 57.4%; 34.6% end in checkmate, 19.7% involve a sacrifice, 55.6% have White to move.

53.5%first move captures
57.4%first move gives check
34.6%end in checkmate
19.7%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
25.8% · median rating 829
2 solver moves
51.2% · median rating 1406
3 solver moves
19% · median rating 1732
4 solver moves
2.9% · median rating 2016
5+ solver moves
1.1% · median rating 2404

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
41%
Key move by a knight
21.2%
Key move by a bishop
17.3%
Key move by a rook
11.6%
Key move by a pawn
8%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
29.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.4%
Captures nothing along the line
17%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
11.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.2%

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)
24.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
22.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
29%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
16.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
12.4%
21–27 pieces
83.4%
13–20 pieces
4.3%
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 (15.7%), f6 (6.1%), g7 (5.3%), d5 (4.1%), f7 (4.1%).

1.53.91.48
1.11.92.82.24.15.315.77
31.32.46.12.11.86
3.31.14.13.51.22.31.55
2.42.31.12.12.91.11.44
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 691 · solved 3,211 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd4

Solution: Qxg2#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝
♟♙
♙♕♞
♘♛
♙♗♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 929 · solved 13,103 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe4

Solution: Qg2#

♜♞♛♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♘♝
♕♙♙
♞♙
♙♙♗♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1022 · solved 15,901 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxb4

Solution: Nc2+ → Ke2 → Nxb4

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♞♟♟
♟♘
♛
♙♙
♙♝♙♗
♖♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1234 · solved 2,535 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd2

Solution: Rh8#

♚♜♜
♟♞♟♟♟
♟♞
♗♟
♙♗
♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1357 · solved 2,465 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ngf6

Solution: Ba6#

♜♚♜
♟♝♟♟♝♟
♟♟
♗
♞♙♙
♛
♙♕♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1463 · solved 2,623 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb4

Solution: Qxc8#

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♟♟
♝
♙♝
♙
♙♙♕♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1586 · solved 3,646 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe4

Solution: Qxe4 → Rd8 → Qxe5

♜♞♜♚
♟♕♟
♛♟♟♟
♝♟♟
♘♖♙♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1604 · solved 989 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qb6

Solution: Qxh7#

♚♜
♕♟♟♟♟
♛
♘♞
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1690 · solved 2,044 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa7

Solution: Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qh5+ → Kg1 → Qh2#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♟♝
♞♕
♞♟
♗
♘♙
♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1701 · solved 1,041 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg8

Solution: Bxf6+ → Bxf6 → Qh6#

♗♚♜
♕♟♞♟♟♟
♟
♝
♝♟♙♞
♘♙♙
♙♜♙♙
♖♘♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 2001 · solved 428 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxd8

Solution: Rxb1+ → Rxb1 → Bxc3#

♜♝♛♜♞♚
♟♟♟♝♟♟♟
♟♗
♙♘
♗♙♘
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 2193 · solved 436 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: dxe4 → Bxe7 → Qxe7 → Bxe4 → Qxe4

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 Queen's Gambit Declined

CheckmateOpening tacticsFork

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level