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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Sicilian Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1400 · solved 281,683,238 times

Opening: Sicilian Defence

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Sicilian Defence: 144,647 puzzles, median rating 1400, solved 281,683,238 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 Sicilian Defence

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Sicilian Defence games: the numbers

There are 144,647 middlegame tactics puzzles from Sicilian Defence games, solved 281,683,238 times in total. The median rating is 1400.

How hard are they?

Foundation
54,344 · 37.6%
Developing
36,066 · 24.9%
Challenging
31,161 · 21.5%
Advanced
23,076 · 16%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 46,419Mate in 1 · 33,977Kingside attack · 27,187Fork · 18,957Discovered attack · 11,222Sacrifice · 10,111Pin · 10,046Mate in 2 · 10,001

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 144,647

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 Sicilian Defence games (1.4% of all 144,647).

22.2% need 1 solver move, 54.4% need 2 solver moves, 19.8% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 869 for the shortest solutions, 2461 for the longest.

40.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.4% and gives check in 55.1%; 32.2% end in checkmate, 20.6% involve a sacrifice, 61.2% have White to move.

53.4%first move captures
55.1%first move gives check
32.2%end in checkmate
20.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
22.2% · median rating 869
2 solver moves
54.4% · median rating 1418
3 solver moves
19.8% · median rating 1791
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 2043
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2461

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
40.2%
Key move by a knight
22.4%
Key move by a bishop
18.6%
Key move by a rook
10%
Key move by a pawn
7.2%
Key move by the king
1.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
31.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.8%
Captures nothing along the line
13.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
13%
Most valuable capture: rook
10.8%

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)
22.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
28.1%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
19.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
9%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
15%
21–27 pieces
81.9%
13–20 pieces
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 (8.7%), f6 (6.6%), g7 (5.7%), f7 (5%), d5 (4.4%).

2.82.61.38
1.51.81.93.955.78.77
2.92.62.26.62.31.96
2.614.42.81.73.31.85
21.72.32.91.44
1.411.13
12
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 840 · solved 5,123 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Ng3#

♜♝♚♞♜
♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♘♙
♕♙♗
♗♙
♙♙♙♔♙
♛
White to move · rating 1096 · solved 3,782 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc8

Solution: Qd8#

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟♟
♝
♟
♞♗♙
♙♙
♙♙♙♙♗
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1183 · solved 5,262 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Ne2+ → Kh2 → Nxf4

♜♜♚
♝♟♙♝♟
♟♟
♟♟
♛♞♕
♙♘♙♙
♗♙♙♔♙
♖♗♖
Black to move · rating 1201 · solved 6,291 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg2

Solution: Ne3+ → Bxe3 → Qxh4

♜♝♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♘♙
♙♗♞
♘♗♛
♙♙♙♕
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1342 · solved 4,328 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: Bxf4 → Rxf4 → Qg3+ → Qg2 → Qxf4

♜♚
♟♛♝♟♟
♟♟♞♟
♟♝
♙♗
♘♕
♙♙♙♗♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1386 · solved 4,676 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxh5

Solution: Bxf6 → Bxf6 → Bxh5

♛♚♝♜
♕♟♟♟♟
♜♟
♞
♘
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
Black to move · rating 1454 · solved 4,519 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd4

Solution: Ra6 → Qxa6 → bxa6

♜♜♚
♟♟
♛♟♟
♟
♞
♙♙♙
♙♙♙♗♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1636 · solved 2,215 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re1

Solution: Rxe1+ → Qxe1 → Nxc2

♜♞♝♜♚
♛♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♟♕
♝♙
♘♗♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1671 · solved 2,154 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe7

Solution: Bxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qh5+ → Kg8 → Ng5 → Qxg5 → Qxg5

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♞♞
♝
♝♗♙
♙♙♙♘♙♗♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1714 · solved 2,340 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc3

Solution: Rxd8 → Rxd8 → Nxc3

♜♚♜
♝♟♟♝♟
♞♟
♘♛♗
♕
♗
♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 2011 · solved 749 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc4

Solution: Qxg5+ → Kb1 → O-O

♜♚♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♞
♙
♙♘♛♗♙
♙♕♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2042 · solved 615 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxc3+

Solution: Bd2 → Qxc2 → Nxa5

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 Sicilian Defence

CheckmateMate in 1Opening tacticsKingside attackForkDiscovered attackPinMate in 2SacrificeHanging pieceAttractionTrapped piece

Same theme, other levels

Middlegame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelChallenging levelDeveloping level