How to solve chess puzzles
- Pick a level. Easy puzzles are rated 600 to 1200, medium 1200 to 1700 and hard 1700 to 2300, on the same scale as the Lichess puzzle ratings.
- The opponent makes a move first. Then it’s your turn: the board is turned so your side is at the bottom. Find the best reply and play it by clicking or dragging the piece.
- If you’re right, the opponent answers and you keep going until the combination is complete. A wrong move is taken back so you can try again, or you can see the solution.
- Each puzzle you solve without a hint or a mistake adds to your streak, and skipping one ends it. Press Next puzzle (or N) for another.
How to get better at chess puzzles
- Look at every forcing move before anything else: all checks, then captures, then threats. Most puzzle solutions start with one of them.
- The opponent’s first move often leaves a piece unguarded or opens a line, so ask what it changed.
- Before a capture, count how many of your pieces attack the square and how many of theirs defend it.
- Calculate each line to the end and picture the opponent’s best reply to your move, not the one you hope for.
- A mistake ends your streak, so take the time to be sure before you move. Speed comes with practice.
Puzzle sets
- Pick a level (easy, medium or hard) above the board.
- Practice checkmates with mate in 1, mate in 2 and mate in 3.
- New players can start with chess puzzles for beginners, which are short and simple.
- To practice one tactic at a time, try forks, pins and skewers.
About these puzzles
The puzzles come from the Lichess puzzle database, released by Lichess under the Creative Commons CC0 license. Each one starts from a real game position. The sets here keep only well-tested puzzles, spread evenly across each level’s rating range, and every set loads only when you open its page.