Chess puzzles by theme
2,530 real-game puzzles in 38 tactical themes, each with a short guide to spotting the pattern. Pick the theme your weakness map flags, or work through them in order.
Checkmate patterns
- Mate in 1One move, game over. Train the reflex. · 84 puzzles
- Mate in 2A forcing move, then the finish. · 84 puzzles
- Mate in 3Longer forcing lines. Calculation practice. · 84 puzzles
- Back-rank mateThe king trapped behind its own pawns. · 84 puzzles
- Smothered mateA knight mates a king boxed in by its own pieces. · 75 puzzles
- Anastasia's mateKnight and rook trap the king on the edge. · 82 puzzles
- Arabian mateRook and knight corner the king. · 84 puzzles
- Boden's mateTwo bishops on crossing diagonals. · 77 puzzles
- Hook mateRook, knight and pawn working together. · 84 puzzles
- Double bishop mateTwo bishops covering adjacent diagonals. · 73 puzzles
Core tactics
- ForkOne piece attacks two targets at once. · 84 puzzles
- PinA piece that can't move without exposing something bigger. · 84 puzzles
- SkewerA reverse pin: the big piece moves, the one behind falls. · 84 puzzles
- Discovered attackMove one piece, unleash another. · 84 puzzles
- Double checkTwo checks at once. The king must move. · 84 puzzles
- Hanging pieceSpot the free material, and don't leave your own. · 84 puzzles
- Trapped pieceWin a piece that has nowhere to go. · 84 puzzles
- Removing the defenderTake the piece that holds everything together. · 84 puzzles
- DeflectionLure a defender away from its post. · 84 puzzles
- SacrificeGive material to win more, or mate. · 84 puzzles
Advanced tactics
- Attraction (decoy)Drag a piece onto a fatal square. · 84 puzzles
- ClearanceClear a square or line for another piece. · 84 puzzles
- InterferenceCut the line between two enemy pieces. · 84 puzzles
- X-ray attackAttack or defend through another piece. · 84 puzzles
- ZugzwangEvery move makes it worse. · 84 puzzles
- Quiet moveNo check, no capture, and still winning. · 84 puzzles
- Defensive moveFind the only move that holds. · 84 puzzles
- Intermezzo (zwischenzug)An in-between move before the obvious recapture. · 84 puzzles
- Exposed kingPunish a king without pawn cover. · 84 puzzles
Endgames & special moves
- PromotionTurn a pawn into a queen. · 84 puzzles
- UnderpromotionWhen a knight beats a queen. · 84 puzzles
- En passantThe capture most players forget. · 70 puzzles
- Rook endgameThe most common endgame in chess. · 84 puzzles
- Pawn endgameOpposition, breakthroughs and races. · 84 puzzles
- Queen endgameChecks, forks and perpetuals. · 84 puzzles
- Knight endgameForks and outside passers. · 84 puzzles
- Bishop endgameColour complexes and passed pawns. · 84 puzzles
- Attacking f2/f7The weakest square in the opening. · 84 puzzles