Day 356: Mate in 3
Target rating: 1056
Lesson of the day
Mate in three is a forced staircase: each of your moves narrows the opponent's choices, and the third one ends the game. Look for the start among checks and sacrifices — quiet first moves are rare in mating problems, but deliciously sneaky. Keep the tree in your head: every defense gets its own branch. Do not stop calculating after move two — see the final mating picture with your own eyes.
Warm-up
1. Attack on the uncastled king: rook to e8 (e4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: knight to f5 (e3·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Winning blow: knight to c6 (e5·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Winning blow: knight to f6 (h5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Winning blow: knight to c6 (b4·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Winning blow: knight to c7 (d5·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Winning blow: queen to d7Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to c2 (c1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Winning blow: queen to e8 (e5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to e3 (f2·17)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Back-rank mate in 3 on e8Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Back-rank mate in 3 on f2 (f7·2)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
13. Back-rank mate in 3 on f2 (f4)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
14. Back-rank mate in 3 on f7 (f3·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Mate in 3: queen to h8Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Fork: pawn to f5 (f6)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
17. Mate in 2: queen to f5 (h3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Fork: rook to e7Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Attack on the uncastled king: rook to e8 (e5·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to d6 (b4·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Mate in 2: queen to e8 (e1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Attack on the uncastled king: king to d2 (d1·6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Mate in 2: queen to c8 (f5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to g4 (e2·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Mate in 2: queen to g6 (h6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 357 →