«Every limitation becomes a sure-footed foundation for mastery when thoroughly understood.» — Carl von Clausewitz
No nickname set yet. You can slip in quietly, no social media needed.
Log in Sign up
Feed
Log in to see the feed.

Puzzle #27: Mate in 2

Rating ≈ 1550 · 2 moves to find

White to move and mate in 2.

Puzzle position: White to move and mate in 2.♜︎♛︎♜︎♚︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♛︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♜︎♚︎a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
Show a hint

Start with the most forcing moves: checks first.

Show the solution
  1. 22. Bf6 — the bishop goes to f6.
  2. 22… a4 is the best defence.
  3. 23. Qg7# — the queen goes to g7 — checkmate.

Why it works. Every move in the line is forcing, so the defender never gets time to organise a defence.

Themes: Mate in 2

Want to recognise this pattern faster? Read the guide.

This position comes from a training game and was checked with a chess engine: every move you need to find is the only one that works.

Similar puzzles

  • #100 · rating ≈ 1450
  • #30 · rating ≈ 1300
  • #39 · rating ≈ 1300
  • #57 · rating ≈ 1300