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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Ruy Lopez

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1353 · solved 54,721,582 times

Opening: Ruy Lopez

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Ruy Lopez: 28,228 puzzles, median rating 1353, solved 54,721,582 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 Ruy Lopez

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Ruy Lopez games: the numbers

There are 28,228 middlegame tactics puzzles from Ruy Lopez games, solved 54,721,582 times in total. The median rating is 1353.

How hard are they?

Foundation
11,539 · 40.9%
Developing
6,855 · 24.3%
Challenging
5,804 · 20.6%
Advanced
4,030 · 14.3%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 9,826Mate in 1 · 6,513Kingside attack · 6,411Fork · 3,647Mate in 2 · 2,653Discovered attack · 2,031Pin · 1,986Sacrifice · 1,866Hanging piece · 1,520

Which openings produce them?

Ruy Lopez · 28,228

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 Ruy Lopez games (7.1% of all 28,228).

22.2% need 1 solver move, 55% need 2 solver moves, 19% need 3 solver moves, 3.2% need 4 solver moves, 0.5% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 840 for the shortest solutions, 2468 for the longest.

41.4% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 51% and gives check in 58%; 33.4% end in checkmate, 22.9% involve a sacrifice, 47.1% have White to move.

51%first move captures
58%first move gives check
33.4%end in checkmate
22.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
22.2% · median rating 840
2 solver moves
55% · median rating 1386
3 solver moves
19% · median rating 1755
4 solver moves
3.2% · median rating 2088
5+ solver moves
0.5% · median rating 2468

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
41.4%
Key move by a knight
19.4%
Key move by a bishop
17.6%
Key move by a rook
14.2%
Key move by a pawn
6.4%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
31.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
16.1%
Most valuable capture: pawn
16%
Captures nothing along the line
14.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
12%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.7%

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)
21.6%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
22.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
14.8%
21–27 pieces
82.9%
13–20 pieces
2.3%
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 (7.5%), f6 (7.1%), e8 (6.8%), g7 (6.4%), f7 (6.3%).

14.16.81.21.18
4.16.36.47.57
1.61.32.47.13.22.76
2.73.61.54.62.25
1.61.82.21.22.51.24
1.913
12
11
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 735 · solved 3,452 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg5

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8#

♚♜♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♟♟
♞♙♘
♙
♛♗
♙♙♕♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1098 · solved 14,204 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc3

Solution: Ne7+ → Nxe7 → Qxc3

♜♚♜
♟♟♟
♟♟♞♟
♕♙♙
♙♛
♙♙♙♖
♖♘♗♔
Black to move · rating 1106 · solved 2,754 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: Qe1#

♜♝♕
♟♟♚♞♟
♟♟
♟
♗♟
♗♘♝
♙♙♙♙♛♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1287 · solved 4,085 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxh8

Solution: Bh6+ → Kb1 → Rxh8

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♟♝♛
♟♗♟
♙♝
♘♙♘
♙♙♙♙♔
♖♕♖
Black to move · rating 1330 · solved 3,210 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg5

Solution: Bxf3+ → Qxf3 → Qxg5+

♜♛♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♝
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔♖
White to move · rating 1356 · solved 3,329 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc5

Solution: Qh5+ → g6 → Qxc5

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♛♟
♙
♘♝
♘
♙♙♙♙♝
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 1496 · solved 3,978 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh2+

Solution: Nxh2 → Bxd1 → Nxd6 → cxd6 → Rxd1

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝♝
♟♕
♙♙
♘
♙♙♛♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1620 · solved 1,666 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc2

Solution: Ng5 → Rxf1+ → Rxf1 → Qxe4 → Nxe4

♜♜
♟♕♟♝♟
♞♛
♟♚♟
♗♟
♙♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♔
White to move · rating 1630 · solved 1,136 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf5

Solution: Qf3#

♜♝♛♚
♟♟♟♜♟♟
♟♟♗
♝♙♕
♗
♙♙♙♘♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1661 · solved 1,311 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb4

Solution: Qxg7#

♘♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟
♟
♝♛
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♔
Black to move · rating 2058 · solved 415 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Qd4 → Be3 → Qxe3

♜♗♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♟
♛♞
♙
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♘♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 2317 · solved 414 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf8

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qh4 → h3 → Nf2+

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 Ruy Lopez

Opening tactics

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level