Puzzle Themes

Recommended

Healthy mix۶٬۴۹۷٬۱۲۷

A bit of everything. You don't know what to expect, so be ready for anything! Just like in real games.

Phases

Opening۳۲۵٬۲۵۱

A tactic during the first phase of the game.

Middlegame۲٬۹۵۸٬۱۰۳

A tactic during the second phase of the game.

Endgame۳٬۲۱۳٬۷۷۳

A tactic during the last phase of the game.

Rook endgame۳۴۱٬۳۰۲

An endgame with only rooks and pawns.

Bishop endgame۸۶٬۵۱۵

An endgame with only bishops and pawns.

Pawn endgame۲۳۱٬۷۴۰

An endgame with only pawns.

Knight endgame۵۲٬۵۵۴

An endgame with only knights and pawns.

Queen endgame۷۴٬۱۰۹

An endgame with only queens and pawns.

Queen and Rook۴۷٬۹۲۳

An endgame with only queens, rooks and pawns.

By openingsMore »

Motifs

Advanced pawn۳۹۴٬۶۶۹

One of your pawns is deep into the opponent position, maybe threatening to promote.

Attacking f2 or f7۴۷٬۰۲۵

An attack focusing on the f2 or f7 pawn, such as in the fried liver opening.

Capture the defender۴۳٬۷۵۹

Removing a piece that is critical to defence of another piece, allowing the now undefended piece to be captured on a following move.

Discovered attack۳۳۳٬۶۶۷

Moving a piece (such as a knight), that previously blocked an attack by a long range piece (such as a rook), out of the way of that piece.

Double check۳۳٬۷۷۰

Checking with two pieces at once, as a result of a discovered attack where both the moving piece and the unveiled piece attack the opponent's king.

Exposed king۱۹۲٬۵۴۹

A tactic involving a king with few defenders around it, often leading to checkmate.

Fork۸۴۹٬۲۲۵

A move where a piece attacks two or more opposing pieces simultaneously.

Hanging piece۲۵۵٬۹۵۹

A tactic involving an opponent piece being undefended or insufficiently defended and free to capture.

Kingside attack۵۵۷٬۶۶۰

An attack of the opponent's king, after they castled on the king side.

Pin۳۹۱٬۴۱۹

A tactic involving pins, where a piece is unable to move without revealing an attack on a higher value piece.

Queenside attack۹۶٬۴۴۹

An attack of the opponent's king, after they castled on the queen side.

Sacrifice۴۷۷٬۴۳۴

A tactic involving giving up material in the short-term, to gain an advantage again after a forced sequence of moves.

Skewer۱۴۵٬۱۶۴

A motif involving a high value piece being attacked, moving out the way, and allowing a lower value piece behind it to be captured or attacked, the inverse of a pin.

Trapped piece۷۴٬۶۰۵

A piece is unable to escape capture as it has limited moves.

Advanced

Attraction۲۳۰٬۹۸۶

An exchange or sacrifice encouraging or forcing an opponent piece to a square that allows a follow-up tactic.

Clearance۸۳٬۷۰۱

A move, often with tempo, that clears a square, file or diagonal for a follow-up tactical idea.

Collinear move۷٬۸۶۶

Two opposing pieces face each other, and one slides along the line of attack without capturing the enemy piece.

Discovered check۱۰۸٬۸۰۲

Move a piece to reveal a check from a hidden attacking piece, which often leads to a decisive advantage.

Defensive move۳۸۶٬۳۴۱

A precise move or sequence of moves that is needed to avoid losing material or another advantage.

Deflection۲۷۹٬۱۱۳

A move that distracts an opposing piece from another duty that it performs, such as guarding a key square. Sometimes also called "overloading".

Interference۲۳٬۷۹۵

Moving a piece between two opponent pieces to leave one or both opponent pieces undefended, such as a knight on a defended square between two rooks.

Intermezzo۷۹٬۹۸۱

Instead of playing the expected move, first interpose another move posing an immediate threat that the opponent must answer. Also known as "Zwischenzug" or "In between".

Quiet move۲۶۵٬۱۰۹

A move that does not check, capture, or create an immediate threat to capture. Instead, it prepares a hidden and unavoidable threat for a later move.

X-Ray attack۲۲٬۸۰۱

A piece attacks or defends a square, through an enemy piece.

Zugzwang۶۵٬۶۷۹

The opponent is limited in the moves they can make, and all moves worsen their position.

Mates

Checkmate۲٬۰۰۶٬۴۳۶

Win the game with style.

Mate in 1۹۲۸٬۲۲۳

Deliver checkmate in one move.

Mate in 2۸۳۷٬۶۷۴

Deliver checkmate in two moves.

Mate in 3۲۰۴٬۰۶۴

Deliver checkmate in three moves.

Mate in 4۳۰٬۰۱۵

Deliver checkmate in four moves.

Mate in 5 or more۶٬۴۶۲

Figure out a long mating sequence.

Mate themes

Anastasia's mate۷٬۶۹۱

A knight and rook or queen team up to trap the opposing king between the side of the board and a friendly piece.

Arabian mate۷٬۷۱۵

A knight and a rook team up to trap the opposing king on a corner of the board.

Back rank mate۲۱۲٬۸۶۶

Checkmate the king on the home rank, when it is trapped there by its own pieces.

Balestra mate۱٬۳۶۸

A bishop delivers the checkmate, while a queen blocks the remaining escape squares

Blind Swine mate۶٬۳۶۱

Two rooks team up to mate the king in an area of 2 by 2 squares.

Boden's mate۳٬۸۴۲

Two attacking bishops on criss-crossing diagonals deliver mate to a king obstructed by friendly pieces.

Corner mate۱۰٬۷۸۰

Confine the king to the corner using a rook or queen, and use a knight to deliver the checkmate.

Double bishop mate۳٬۸۱۳

Two attacking bishops on adjacent diagonals deliver mate to a king obstructed by friendly pieces.

Dovetail mate۴٬۱۷۲

A queen delivers mate to an adjacent king, whose only two escape squares are obstructed by friendly pieces.

Epaulette mate۲۲٬۶۴۶

Two adjacent escape squares for a checked king are occupied by other pieces.

Hook mate۱۱٬۰۴۱

Checkmate using a rook, knight, and pawn, where an opposing pawn blocks the king's escape.

Kill box mate۵٬۵۱۹

A rook is next to the enemy king and supported by a queen that also blocks the king's escape squares. The rook and the queen catch the enemy king in a 3 by 3 "kill box".

Pillsbury's mate۶۷٬۶۴۴

A rook delivers checkmate to the king, while a bishop helps confine it.

Morphy's mate۷٬۱۳۲

A bishop delivers checkmate to the king, while a rook helps confine it.

Opera mate۶۳٬۹۴۰

Check the king with a rook and use a bishop to defend the rook.

Swallow's tail mate۸٬۳۹۸

A checkmate pattern that visually resembles the appearance of a swallow’s tail, similar to a V shape.

Triangle mate۷٬۸۵۴

The queen and rook, one square away from the enemy king, are on the same rank or file, separated by one square, forming a triangle.

Vuković mate۲٬۴۸۷

A rook and knight team up to mate the king. The rook delivers mate while supported by a third piece, and the knight is used to block the king's escape squares.

Smothered mate۲۵٬۰۷۵

A checkmate delivered by a knight in which the mated king is unable to move because it is surrounded (or smothered) by its own pieces.

Special moves

Castling۲٬۶۸۶

Bring the king to safety, and deploy the rook for attack.

En passant۹٬۰۳۷

A tactic involving the en passant rule, where a pawn can capture an opposing pawn that has just moved next to it with its initial two-square move.

Promotion۱۵۳٬۶۶۴

Promote one of your pawns to a queen, rook or minor piece.

Underpromotion۱٬۱۸۹

Promotion to a knight, bishop, or rook.

Goals

Equality۴۳٬۰۳۰

Come back from a losing position, and secure a draw or a balanced position. (eval ≤ 200cp)

Advantage۱٬۹۱۰٬۲۰۹

Seize your chance to get a decisive advantage. (200cp ≤ eval ≤ 600cp)

Crushing۲٬۴۸۳٬۳۰۳

Spot the opponent blunder to obtain a crushing advantage. (eval ≥ 600cp)

Checkmate۲٬۰۰۶٬۴۳۶

Win the game with style.

Lengths

One-move puzzle۹۷۵٬۴۸۱

A puzzle that is only one move long.

Short puzzle۳٬۲۹۰٬۵۹۵

Two moves to win.

Long puzzle۱٬۶۵۶٬۲۸۴

Three moves to win.

Very long puzzle۵۲۰٬۶۱۸

Four moves or more to win.

Origin

Master games۸۵۰٬۲۶۹

Puzzles from games played by titled players.

Master vs Master games۷۷٬۸۶۳

Puzzles from games between two titled players.

Super GM games۳٬۲۹۶

Puzzles from games played by the best players in the world.

Player games

View puzzles generated from your games, or from another player's games

These puzzles are in the public domain, and can be downloaded from database.lichess.org.