Day 801: Mate in 3
Target rating: 1696
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 h8 (h1·9)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Mate in 3: knight to f1Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Mate in 3: queen to a7 (d4·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to e5 (e3·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Mate in 3: queen to e7 (e1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Mate in 3: rook to c1 (a1·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Mate in 3: queen to a5 (c3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Mate in 3: bishop to c5 (b4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Mate in 3: queen to a3Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Mate in 3: queen to f5 (h3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Mate in 3: bishop to f3 (g4·2)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
12. Mate in 3: bishop to c4 (f1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to d5 (d4·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to h5 (e2·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Mate in 3: pawn to f7 (f6·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 3: queen to d7 (c6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Mate in 3: queen to f7 (f2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Mate in 2: queen to f3 (e4)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
19. Mate in 2: rook to h3 (d3·2)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
20. Mate in 2: bishop to f3 (g4)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
21. Win the hanging queen on d1 (h5)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
22. Mate in 3: rook to b5 (b1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Mate in 3: rook to d7 (d1·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Mate in 2: rook to a7 (b7·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Mate in 3: queen to g4 (g3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 802 →