Chess · Tactics
Chess Puzzle Trainer
Find the best move. Each puzzle comes from a real game. Your opponent has just moved, and now it's your turn to strike.
How chess puzzles make you better
Most games between club players are decided by tactics: short, forcing sequences that win material or give checkmate. Solving puzzles trains your eye to spot these patterns in your own games, which is why coaches recommend a few puzzles every day.
The patterns you'll practise
- Fork: one piece attacks two at once. Knights are famous for it.
- Pin: a piece can't move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it.
- Skewer: the valuable piece is in front, so when it moves, the piece behind is lost.
- Discovered attack: moving one piece reveals an attack from another.
- Back-rank mate: a king trapped behind its own pawns is mated on the back row.
- Sacrifice and deflection: give something up to pull a defender away.
Tip: before moving, look for checks, captures and threats, in that order. Forcing moves are usually the key to a puzzle.
Puzzles are from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Ratings are Lichess puzzle ratings.