Mate in 3 puzzles
84 free mate in 3 puzzles from real games, rated 828 to 2370. Solve them on the board below; your accuracy feeds your weakness map.
What is a mate in 3?
Mate in 3 puzzles stretch your calculation to five half-moves. You need a clear mental picture of where the pieces will be after a forcing sequence, without moving them.
Treat these as visualization training. Read the whole line before you touch a piece; if you play the first move on instinct, the later moves get harder, not easier.
Common mistake
Losing track of which squares are covered after two captures. Re-check the board picture at each step.
How to spot it
Find the final mating picture first, then work backwards to see what has to move out of the way.
Checks that drive the king onto a worse square are often the start of the line.
Quiet second moves happen. If every check fails, look for a move that cuts off the escape squares.
Related themes
- Mate in 1One move, game over. Train the reflex.
- Mate in 2A forcing move, then the finish.
- Back-rank mateThe king trapped behind its own pawns.
- Smothered mateA knight mates a king boxed in by its own pieces.
- Anastasia's mateKnight and rook trap the king on the edge.
Let the adaptive drill find your weakest pattern
Puzzles: Lichess puzzle database (CC0), filtered for popularity and play count. See how Weakspot works.