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Middlegame tactics Puzzles from the Zukertort Opening

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1358 · solved 23,740,051 times

Opening: Zukertort Opening

These middlegame tactics puzzles were set in games that began as the Zukertort Opening: 13,428 puzzles, median rating 1358, solved 23,740,051 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 Zukertort Opening

By the numbers

middlegame tactics puzzles from Zukertort Opening games: the numbers

There are 13,428 middlegame tactics puzzles from Zukertort Opening games, solved 23,740,051 times in total. The median rating is 1358.

How hard are they?

Foundation
5,429 · 40.4%
Developing
3,244 · 24.2%
Challenging
2,730 · 20.3%
Advanced
2,025 · 15.1%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 4,884Mate in 1 · 3,646Kingside attack · 2,765Fork · 1,647Discovered attack · 1,017Mate in 2 · 1,007Sacrifice · 931Pin · 791

Which openings produce them?

Zukertort Opening · 13,428

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 Zukertort Opening games (14.9% of all 13,428).

26.6% need 1 solver move, 48.7% need 2 solver moves, 21.2% need 3 solver moves, 2.8% need 4 solver moves, 0.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 887 for the shortest solutions, 2347 for the longest.

40.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 53.7% and gives check in 59.8%; 35.8% end in checkmate, 20.9% involve a sacrifice, 53.8% have White to move.

53.7%first move captures
59.8%first move gives check
35.8%end in checkmate
20.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
26.6% · median rating 887
2 solver moves
48.7% · median rating 1418
3 solver moves
21.2% · median rating 1821
4 solver moves
2.8% · median rating 2178
5+ solver moves
0.6% · median rating 2347

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
40.2%
Key move by a knight
22.9%
Key move by a bishop
17.8%
Key move by a rook
11.2%
Key move by a pawn
7.2%
Key move by the king
0.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
29.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
18.2%
Captures nothing along the line
15.7%
Most valuable capture: knight
13.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
12%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.3%

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)
24.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
21.6%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
26.8%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
19.5%
21–27 pieces
78.6%
13–20 pieces
1.9%
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 (9.6%), f6 (7.1%), g7 (6.3%), f7 (5.6%), d5 (4.1%).

13.52.11.11.38
1.31.42.33.25.66.39.67
32.22.97.12.52.16
1.71.14.13.21.52.42.45
1.21.52.93.41.84
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.

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♟♟
♝♝♟
♟♟
♙♙♙♙
♙♙♕♞♘♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 734 · solved 1,981 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd2

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8#

♞♜♚
♟♞♛♟♟
♟♟♟
♟♕
♙♙
♘♗♙
♙♙♙
♜♖♔
White to move · rating 922 · solved 2,419 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxc1

Solution: Qh7#

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♟♟♟♗♟
♛♟♟
♟
♙♞
♙♙♘♙
♙♙♙♗♙
♖♘♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 949 · solved 2,387 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxg7

Solution: Qxf2#

♜♞♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♝
♟♕
♛
♗
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1218 · solved 3,053 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be6

Solution: Qh8#

♜♝♜
♟♟♟♚♟
♛
♝
♘
♙♙
♙♙♙♙♗♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1398 · solved 2,795 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne4

Solution: Rxh2+ → Kxh2 → Qh6+ → Bh3 → Qxh3#

♜♜♚
♟♟♝♛♝
♟♟♟
♕
♟
♙♙
♙♗♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1469 · solved 3,262 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxe6

Solution: Qxh6+ → Kg8 → Qh7+

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♞
♗
♕♙
♙♙♙♛♙♗♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1549 · solved 3,574 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qa4

Solution: Qd1+ → Rxd1 → Rxd1#

♜♜♚
♟♟♛♝♟♟
♟♟♘♞
♟
♙♙
♙♗♙
♙♕♙♙♝♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1725 · solved 720 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd7

Solution: Nxf8 → Rxf8 → Kxg2

♜♚♝♜
♟♟♟
♟♛♟♟
♟
♙♞♕
♙
♙♗♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
White to move · rating 1832 · solved 640 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g5

Solution: Bxh8 → f5 → Qf3 → Qxf3 → gxf3

♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♛♟♟♜
♟♙♟
♞
♙♗♙
♙♗♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1867 · solved 626 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Ng3+ → hxg3 → Rh6#

♜♛♜♚
♟♟♝♟
♕
♟♟♝
♗♞
♙♙♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2026 · solved 442 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b5

Solution: Nh5 → Bf6 → Nxf6+ → Qxf6 → Qxf6

♜♞♝♚♜
♟♛♟♟
♟
♟
♟♙♝
♘♙♞♘♗
♙♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 2054 · solved 390 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg3

Solution: Bxg3+ → hxg3 → Qxg3#

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