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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Slav Defense

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1361 · solved 24,028,911 times

Opening: Slav Defense

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Slav Defense: 12,813 puzzles, median rating 1361, solved 24,028,911 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 Slav Defense

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Slav Defense games: the numbers

There are 12,813 middlegame tactics puzzles from Slav Defense games, solved 24,028,911 times in total. The median rating is 1361.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,190 · 40.5%
Developing
3,220 · 25.1%
Challenging
2,698 · 21.1%
Advanced
1,705 · 13.3%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,438Mate in 1 · 3,356Kingside attack · 2,312Fork · 1,491Discovered attack · 942Mate in 2 · 892Sacrifice · 720Pin · 673

Which openings produce them?

Slav Defense · 12,813

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 Slav Defense games (15.6% of all 12,813).

27.4% need 1 solver move, 50.6% need 2 solver moves, 18.4% need 3 solver moves, 2.9% need 4 solver moves, 0.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 811 for the shortest solutions, 2431 for the longest.

43% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 52.8% and gives check in 59.8%; 36.5% end in checkmate, 19.4% involve a sacrifice, 55.1% have White to move.

52.8%first move captures
59.8%first move gives check
36.5%end in checkmate
19.4%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
27.4% · median rating 811
2 solver moves
50.6% · median rating 1405
3 solver moves
18.4% · median rating 1751
4 solver moves
2.9% · median rating 2022
5+ solver moves
0.8% · median rating 2431

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
43%
Key move by a knight
19%
Key move by a bishop
17.8%
Key move by a rook
11.2%
Key move by a pawn
7.8%
Key move by the king
1%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
26.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
19%
Captures nothing along the line
18.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
15.2%
Most valuable capture: knight
10.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.9%

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)
25.7%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27.9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
18.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
6.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
17.9%
21–27 pieces
79.3%
13–20 pieces
2.8%
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: h7 (15.8%), f7 (5.1%), b5 (5.1%), f6 (4.5%), c6 (4%).

3.92.31.118
12.62.41.95.13.115.87
42.51.74.52.66
5.11.23.22.811.53.25
3.821.61.32.11.14
3
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.

♚♜
♘♟♟♝
♞♟♟
♟
♙♛
♜♗♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 938 · solved 6,927 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kb8

Solution: Nxc6+ → bxc6 → Qxc6

♜♞♛♚♝♜
♟♟♝♟♟♟
♗♟♟♙♗
♙
♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1116 · solved 1,978 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg5

Solution: Qa5+ → Bd2 → Qxb5

♜♞♚♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♟♝
♟♘♙♟
♝♙♙♛♙
♘♙
♙♙♔♙
♖♗♕♗♖
White to move · rating 1131 · solved 1,559 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf4+

Solution: e3 → Qxe5 → dxe5

♚♜♝♞♜
♟♟♟
♟♟
♙♟
♙♟♘
♞♘♗
♖♙♙♙♙
♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1292 · solved 1,624 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: Rd1+ → Kc2 → Rc1#

♜♚♜
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟♝♟
♙♞
♙♘♙♘♛
♙♙
♖♗♕♖♗♔
Black to move · rating 1296 · solved 1,808 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf1

Solution: Bh2+ → Nxh2 → Qxh2#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟
♟♛♟
♟♘
♙♞♙
♜♕♙♖
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1321 · solved 1,467 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc3

Solution: Nxe4 → Rxd3 → Nxd6

♜♛♚♜
♟♟♞♝♟
♟♞♟
♟♟
♙
♘♕♙♘♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1373 · solved 2,377 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg5

Solution: Qxg6+ → Kf8 → Nxg5 → Qe8 → Ne6+ → Kg8 → Qxg7#

♜♜♚
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♞
♛♗
♙♙♗♙
♕♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1607 · solved 914 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe5

Solution: Nxe5 → Bxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qxd5 → Nxd5

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♘♛♞♟
♞
♙
♕♗
♙♙♗♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1615 · solved 797 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc6

Solution: Qxh2#

♜♚♝♜
♕♟♟♟♟
♘♛♞
♟♝
♙
♘
♙♙♔♙♙♙
♞♗♗♖
White to move · rating 1741 · solved 968 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd6

Solution: Qxb8+ → Qxb8 → Nxb8

♜♜♚
♝♞♟♟
♟♛♟
♟♘
♙
♙♙
♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
White to move · rating 2039 · solved 288 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg8

Solution: Qh5 → Rfe8 → Qxf7+

♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟
♛♝
♕
♜♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 2111 · solved 362 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc3

Solution: bxc3 → Qxc3+ → Ke2 → Qb2+ → Kf3

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