How to solve mate in 1 puzzles
- The opponent plays a move, and then there’s a checkmate in one move for you. The board turns so your side is at the bottom.
- Find the move that attacks the king so it can’t escape, block or capture the checking piece. Play it by clicking or dragging.
- Any checkmating move counts, even if there are two. A move that isn’t mate is taken back so you can look again.
Common mate in 1 patterns
- In a back-rank mate a rook or queen checks the king along its first rank, where its own pawns block its escape.
- With queen and king, the queen checks the king next to it, protected by your own king or another piece so it can’t be captured.
- A smothered mate is a knight check on a king that is boxed in by its own pieces.
- Two rooks mate together: one cuts off a rank and the other gives check on the next one, the “ladder” or “lawnmower” mate.
- A discovered check comes from moving one piece to open a line for another, giving a check the king can’t meet.
Tips
- Every mate in one is a check, so list every check you can give before you think about anything else.
- Count the empty squares next to the king and see which of your pieces cover them.
- A check that looks like mate fails if a piece can step in between or take the checking piece.
About these puzzles
Every position comes from a real game on Lichess, from the public-domain Lichess puzzle database, and has been checked by an engine to have a checkmate in one. Only puzzles played at least a thousand times and well liked by players are included.