Trainings
95 trainings graded 1–10. Log in to track what you complete.
Checkmate patterns 4
Anastasia's mate
A knight on e7 covers g8 and g6; a rook or queen then mates on the h-file, usually after a sacrifice removes the h-pawn.
Boden's mate
Two bishops on crossing diagonals against a king that castled long. The trigger is almost always a queen sacrifice on c6 or c3.
Greco's and Damiano's mates
Attacks down the h-file: a bishop takes g8 away (Greco), or rooks are sacrificed on h8 to bring the queen in with mate (Damiano).
Queen and knight mates
Queen and knight are the deadliest attacking pair. Spot the mates on h7 and g7, and the knight checks that drive the king into the corner.
Tactics 3
Double checks
Two pieces give check at once; only a king move is legal. Use that to win material or mate.
Trapped pieces
A piece with no safe squares is as good as lost. Find the pawn move that closes the net.
Deflection and decoy
Force an enemy piece onto a bad square (decoy) or away from a good one (deflection), then cash in.
Endgames 3
Pawn breakthroughs
Sacrifice pawns to force one of them through. Pure pawn endings in which a single push decides the game.
Stalemate tricks for the defender
Down to your last resource? Find the move that leaves the opponent's win in ruins: a stalemate trap or a desperado piece.
Promotion tricks
Underpromotions, promotions with check and the right piece at the right moment. The pawn's last step is often the most tactical.
Strategy 1
Calculation 2
Counting captures: who wins the exchange sequence?
Count attackers and defenders, capture with the least valuable piece first, and know when the recapture costs your opponent more than it is worth.
Find the only move
Defensive puzzles with exactly one saving resource: stalemate tricks, underpromotion and the opposition. Every other move loses.