Daily Chess Puzzle #11: Mate in two, Quiet move, Pin and Zugzwang

Four puzzles, four patterns: the mate in two, the quiet move, the pin and the zugzwang. 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 few seconds the video does, and only then read the solution. Best for players rated about 800 to 2500.

Puzzle 1: Mate in two (beginner, rated 888)

Black to play. White just played bishop takes on d4. It wins a bishop, or so it seems. The king is running out of squares. Can you find the winning check?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00eNe. It was rated 888 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rxe1+ — Black: Rook takes on e1, check.
2. Rxe1 — White: Rook takes on e1.
3. Rxe1# — Black: Rook takes on e1, checkmate.

Rook takes on e1, check. The rook attacks the king on g1 and the rook on c1 at the same time. White’s only move is rook takes on e1. Rook takes on e1, checkmate.

The pattern. A mate in two. The first move takes away the escape, the second delivers mate, and the reply in between is forced. Forcing moves first, and the mate appears. If you were tempted by queen takes on d4, White answers rook takes on e6 and the chance is gone.

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Puzzle 2: Quiet move (intermediate, rated 1349)

White to play. Black has just played queen to f8. And the black queen on f8 has nothing defending it. Notice the black king on h8 and the black queen on f8, close together. Where can our rook land to attack both at once?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00i6P. It was rated 1349 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rxf8+ — White: Rook takes on f8, check.
2. Rxf8 — Black: Rook takes on f8.
3. c5 — White: Pawn to c5.
4. Rd8 — Black: Rook to d8.
5. c6 — White: Pawn to c6.

Rook takes on f8, check. The rook attacks the king on h8 and the rook on b8 at the same time. Black takes. Rook takes on f8. And now, pawn to c5. Black defends with rook to d8. Pawn to c6.

The pattern. We come out a piece and a pawn ahead. A quiet move. No check, no capture, and yet it is the strongest move on the board because of the threat it creates. The loudest move is not always the best one.

Puzzle 3: Pin (advanced, rated 2076)

White to play. Black just played pawn to g3. And the black rook on a4 has nothing defending it. One piece cannot move without exposing another. Can you see which?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02jzk. It was rated 2076 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. a7 — White: Pawn to a7.
2. Kb3 — Black: King to b3.
3. Rxc4 — White: Rook takes on c4.
4. Rxc4 — Black: Rook takes on c4.
5. a8=Q — White: Pawn to a8, promoting to a queen.

Pawn to a7. Black tries king to b3. And now, rook takes on c4. We give up the rook for a knight. Black takes. Rook takes on c4. Pawn to a8, promoting to a queen.

The pattern. We come out a rook and a pawn ahead. A pin. The pinned piece cannot move without exposing something more valuable behind it, so it is really out of the game. Pin first, then pile on the pinned piece.

Puzzle 4: Zugzwang (master, rated 2420)

Black to play. White just played king to e3. It looks natural, but it leaves something behind. No checks, no captures. Can you find the move that leaves White with nothing good to play?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/05VnQ. It was rated 2420 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Ke5 — Black: King to e5.
2. a3 — White: Pawn to a3.
3. b5 — Black: Pawn to b5.
4. Kd3 — White: King to d3.
5. bxc4+ — Black: Pawn takes on c4, check.

King to e5. White plays pawn to a3. Now, pawn to b5. White defends with king to d3. Now, pawn takes on c4, check. The king cannot go to d4, because our pawn on c5 controls that square.

The pattern. We win the pawn for a pawn. Zugzwang. Every move your opponent has makes their position worse, and they have to move. In the endgame, having no good move is as bad as being attacked.

One puzzle at a time

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

• Mate in two that 900s miss
• Quiet move that 1300s miss
• Pin that 2100s miss
• Zugzwang that 2400s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 00eNe, 00i6P, 02jzk, 05VnQ from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.