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Chessblood

Tactics trainer

Chess Puzzles: Mate in 1, 2 and 3

Checkmate puzzles you can trust: every position is proven by a solver before you see it. Pick a theme, play the key move on the board and build a streak.

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Solve checkmate puzzles you can trust

  • Mate in 1, 2 and 3, each proven by a brute-force solver
  • Hints, step-by-step solutions and a new daily puzzle
  • Your streak and stats stay in your browser
Start solving puzzles No account, no download.

How it works

Checkmate puzzles, verified move by move

A mate-in-N puzzle is a contract: the side to move can force checkmate on its N-th move no matter how the defender replies. Mate in 1 is a single move. Mate in 2 means you move, the defender picks any legal reply, and your second move is checkmate. Mate in 3 adds one more round. The word force matters. If the defender has even one escape, the position is not a mate in N, however pretty the idea looks.

That is why puzzles are checked by a brute-force solver before they are published, and why the trainer labels the ones it has proven. The solver plays every legal move for the attacker, then every legal reply, and only accepts a puzzle when some attacking move leaves the defender with no answer. The same solver runs while you play: if you find a different move that also forces mate in the required number of moves, it is accepted, and the trainer answers with the defender's most stubborn reply rather than a convenient one.

How to play

Choose a theme at the top: a mix, or only mate in 1, 2 or 3. The board is turned so that you are looking from the side to move, and the heading tells you who moves and how many moves you have. Drag a piece or tap it and then its destination. A correct move is followed by the defender's reply after a short pause; a wrong move flashes red and is taken back so you can try again. When the final move lands you see your time and the full solution in algebraic notation.

Stuck? Hint highlights the piece that should move next without giving away the square. Show solution plays the whole line on the board, one move at a time, and counts the puzzle as failed. Retry resets the position, and Next puzzle moves on. The daily puzzle is the same position for everyone on a given date, which makes it a good one to compare notes on.

Solving technique

Forcing moves first. Checks limit the defender to a handful of replies, so start by listing every check and asking where the king can go. Then look at captures and at quiet moves that create an unstoppable threat. In mate-in-2 puzzles the first move is often a sacrifice that drags a defender away from a key square, or a quiet move that takes the last flight square. Before you commit, count the king's flight squares after your intended move; if one remains, the defender will find it.

Short puzzles train pattern recognition: back-rank mates, smothered mates, the Arabian mate with rook and knight, Boden's crossed bishops. Seeing these a few hundred times is what lets you spot them in a blitz game with seconds on the clock. Pair this trainer with the blunder checker to find the mates you missed in your own games, and with the analysis board when you want to explore a position freely.

Frequently asked questions

What does “mate in 2” mean exactly?
It means the side to move can force checkmate on its second move against any defence. You play a move, your opponent makes the best reply available, and your next move is checkmate. If the defender has even one reply that avoids mate on that move, the puzzle is not a true mate in 2. Our solver checks every defensive try before a puzzle is published.
Why was my move marked wrong when it also wins?
The trainer only accepts moves that still force checkmate within the stated number of moves. A move that wins a queen or reaches a winning endgame is not a solution to a mate-in-N puzzle. If your move does force mate in the required number of moves, it is accepted even when it differs from the stored solution, because every move is re-checked by the solver rather than compared with a single line.
How is the difficulty rating estimated?
Puzzles from our database carry an approximate rating that reflects how often players solve them and how deep the mate is. Built-in puzzles use a simple scale: 800 for mate in 1, 1200 for mate in 2 and 1600 for mate in 3. Ratings are a guide to difficulty, not a measure of your own strength.
Does using a hint or retrying count against me?
A hint highlights the piece that moves next and does not count as a mistake. The streak counts puzzles you solve without a single wrong move; a wrong move or showing the solution resets it. Retrying a puzzle you have already finished is practice only and does not change your totals.
Where are my results stored?
Your solved, failed and streak counts stay in your browser's local storage under a single key, so they survive a refresh but never leave your device unless you choose to share them. When the puzzle server is reachable we also record anonymous solve rates per puzzle, which is how the success-rate statistics are computed.
Can I practise if the puzzle server is down?
Yes. The page falls back to a built-in set of mate puzzles that are solved on the spot by the same checkmate solver, so you can keep training offline. The daily puzzle and per-puzzle statistics return automatically once the server is reachable again.