Daily Chess Puzzle #1: Arabian mate, Royal fork and Discovered attack

Three puzzles, three patterns: the arabian mate, the royal fork and the discovered attack. Each position below comes from a real game in the open Lichess database and is engine-verified. Set the position up, give yourself the same five seconds the video does, and only then read the solution. Best for players rated about 800 to 2200.

Puzzle 1: Arabian mate (beginner, rated 805)

White to play. Black has just played bishop to d3. It looks harmless, but Black’s king on g8 is short of squares, and our knight and rook are already close by. Can you see the check that drives the king into the corner?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00H8a. It was rated 805 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Nf6+ — White: Knight to f6, check.
2. Kh8 — Black: King to h8.
3. Rxh7# — White: Rook takes on h7, checkmate.

Knight to f6, check. The king cannot go to f7, because our rook on c7 controls that square. So Black’s only move is king to h8. And now, rook takes on h7. Checkmate.

The pattern. This pattern is called the Arabian mate. The knight guards g8, the rook covers the seventh rank and the h-file, and the knight protects the rook. Remember the shape: knight and rook, side by side, against a cornered king.

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Puzzle 2: Royal fork (intermediate, rated 1542)

Black to play. White has just retreated the knight to d2. Notice the white king on g1 and the white queen on c3. Whenever the king and queen sit close together, look for a knight fork. Where can our knight land to attack both at once?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/000Pw. It was rated 1542 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Ne2+ — Black: Knight to e2, check.
2. Kf1 — White: King to f1.
3. Nxc3 — Black: Knight takes on c3.

Knight to e2, check. The knight attacks the king on g1 and the queen on c3 at the same time. White has to move the king. King to f1. And we collect the queen. Knight takes on c3.

The pattern. A royal fork: one knight, one check, and the queen falls. Before every move, check whether your knight is a single jump away from the king and another heavy piece.

Puzzle 3: Discovered attack (advanced, rated 2155)

White to play. Black plays bishop to a6, pinning our knight against the king. It looks like Black is winning material. But look at our queen on g7, and our rook on a1, sitting on the same rank as that black queen. There is a forcing sequence here. It starts with a sacrifice.

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00Pms. It was rated 2155 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qxf8+ — White: Queen takes on f8, check.
2. Kxf8 — Black: King takes on f8.
3. Ba3+ — White: Bishop to a3, check.
4. Ke8 — Black: King to e8.
5. Rxh1 — White: Rook takes on h1.

Queen takes on f8, check! We give up the queen for a rook. Black has to take it. King takes on f8. Now the point. Bishop to a3, check. The bishop steps off the first rank, and our rook on a1 now looks straight down at the black queen on h1. Black’s king must move. King to e8. And rook takes on h1. We win the queen back, and come out a full rook ahead.

The pattern. A sacrifice is not a gift. We gave a queen for a rook so that one bishop move could deliver a check and uncover an attack at the same time. Two threats, one move.

One puzzle at a time

Each puzzle is also a 60-second Short if you want to try one on the phone:

• Arabian mate that 800s miss
• Royal fork that 1500s miss
• Discovered attack that 2200s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 00H8a, 000Pw, 00Pms from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.