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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Russian Game

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1450 · solved 29,522,751 times

Opening: Russian Game

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Russian Game: 12,673 puzzles, median rating 1450, solved 29,522,751 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

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Russian Game games: the numbers

There are 12,673 middlegame tactics puzzles from Russian Game games, solved 29,522,751 times in total. The median rating is 1450.

How hard are they?

Foundation
4,401 · 34.7%
Developing
3,139 · 24.8%
Challenging
2,724 · 21.5%
Advanced
2,409 · 19%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 3,711Kingside attack · 2,461Mate in 1 · 2,147Fork · 1,605Mate in 2 · 1,212Pin · 1,166Discovered attack · 1,007Sacrifice · 953

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 Russian Game games (15.8% of all 12,673).

16.4% need 1 solver move, 52.6% need 2 solver moves, 25% need 3 solver moves, 4.5% need 4 solver moves, 1.5% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 878 for the shortest solutions, 2391 for the longest.

37.6% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 51.3% and gives check in 55.8%; 28.1% end in checkmate, 27% involve a sacrifice, 43.1% have White to move.

51.3%first move captures
55.8%first move gives check
28.1%end in checkmate
27%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
16.4% · median rating 878
2 solver moves
52.6% · median rating 1441
3 solver moves
25% · median rating 1813
4 solver moves
4.5% · median rating 2099
5+ solver moves
1.5% · median rating 2391

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
37.6%
Key move by a bishop
19.1%
Key move by a knight
18%
Key move by a rook
16.3%
Key move by a pawn
7.6%
Key move by the king
1.5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
32.6%
Most valuable capture: rook
16.1%
Captures nothing along the line
13.7%
Most valuable capture: pawn
13.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
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)
22.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
19.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
28.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20.7%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
10.2%
21–27 pieces
86.2%
13–20 pieces
3.7%
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 (6.8%), h7 (6.8%), f6 (6.1%), e8 (5.5%), e7 (4%).

3.25.511.28
1.346.83.16.87
21.836.12.92.26
1.23.83.61.73.62.25
3.12.23.21.62.91.24
1.11.11.13
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 875 · solved 2,093 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nexd6

Solution: Qh2#

♜♞♜♚
♟♝♛♗♟
♟♟♝♟
♙
♘♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 930 · solved 2,288 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg6

Solution: Qh3+ → Qh4 → Qxh4#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♛♟♟
♝
♙
♟♙♙
♘♕♟♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1070 · solved 2,761 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf3

Solution: Rxh3+ → gxh3 → Qxh3#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♙
♗♞
♙♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1209 · solved 12,018 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe4

Solution: Qg5+ → Kf1 → Qg2#

♜
♟♟♟♖♟♟
♟♚
♙♞
♙
♙♙♗♛
♖♘♗♔
White to move · rating 1307 · solved 8,316 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke6

Solution: Bc4+ → Kd6 → Bf4#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟
♟♝♟
♕♙
♛♗
♙♙♙
♘♖♔
White to move · rating 1403 · solved 8,068 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bd5

Solution: Re1 → Qxe1+ → Qxe1+

♜♞♝♚
♟♟♟♜♟♟
♛
♘♕
♖
♙♙♟♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1549 · solved 9,466 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf7

Solution: Re8+ → Rf8 → Ne7+ → Qxe7 → Rxe7

♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟♝
♙♜
♘
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1700 · solved 20,873 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f3

Solution: Bxe3+ → Rxe3 → Rh1+ → Kf2 → Rxa1

♜♞♕
♟♟♟♛♚♟
♟♟
♟
♙♙♞
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1804 · solved 25,715 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc8

Solution: Nd6+ → Be3 → Nxc8

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♝♟♟♟
♟♟♞
♙♙
♘♗♗♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1953 · solved 1,488 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kf8 → Bf5 → Qxf5 → Qxf5

♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♜♛♟♝
♟
♗
♙♕
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 2026 · solved 6,645 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rd6

Solution: Rxd6 → Qxd6 → Qh3+ → Kc7 → Qxh6

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♕♟
♟
♗♙♝
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♛
♖♗♔
Black to move · rating 2039 · solved 12,332 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg7

Solution: Qg3+ → Kf1 → Be2+ → Bxe2 → Qxg7

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 Russian Game

Opening tactics

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level