Daily Chess Puzzle #12: Back-rank mate, Trapped piece, Promotion and Quiet move

Four puzzles, four patterns: the back-rank mate, the trapped piece, the promotion and the quiet move. 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 2600.

Puzzle 1: Back-rank mate (beginner, rated 805)

Black to play. White has just played queen to b2. Take a moment to look at the whole board. The king is running out of squares. Can you find the winning check?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/012tD. It was rated 805 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rd1+ — Black: Rook to d1, check.
2. Rxd1 — White: Rook takes on d1.
3. cxd1=Q# — Black: Pawn takes on d1, promoting to a queen, checkmate.

Rook to d1, check. The rook attacks the king on g1 and the rook on a1 at the same time. White has no choice. Rook takes on d1. Pawn takes on d1, promoting to a queen, checkmate.

The pattern. A back-rank mate. The king’s own pawns become its prison, and one heavy piece on the last rank ends the game. Before you castle and forget about it, ask whether your back rank has an escape square.

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Puzzle 2: Trapped piece (intermediate, rated 1394)

White to play. Black just played queen to f6. Notice the black king on g8 and the black queen on f6, close together. One of Black’s pieces has run out of squares. Can you find the move that wins it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00YeV. It was rated 1394 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Bg5 — White: Bishop to g5.
2. Qg6 — Black: Queen to g6.
3. Nh4 — White: Knight to h4.
4. h6 — Black: Pawn to h6.
5. Nxg6 — White: Knight takes on g6.

Bishop to g5. Black plays queen to g6. Knight to h4. The knight attacks the queen on g6 and the bishop on f5 at the same time. Black tries pawn to h6. Knight takes on g6. That wins the queen for our knight.

The pattern. We win the queen for a knight. A trapped piece. It has nowhere safe to go, and it falls. Before moving a piece deep into enemy territory, count its retreat squares.

Puzzle 3: Promotion (advanced, rated 1983)

White to play. Black has just played queen to d5. Notice the black king on c8 and the black queen on d5, close together. Which capture wins material?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/04DFs. It was rated 1983 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qxd5 — White: Queen takes on d5.
2. Rxd5 — Black: Rook takes on d5.
3. bxa7 — White: Pawn takes on a7.
4. Kc7 — Black: King to c7.
5. a8=Q — White: Pawn to a8, promoting to a queen.

Queen takes on d5. The queens come off. Black takes. Rook takes on d5. Now, pawn takes on a7. That wins the pawn. Black defends with king to c7. And now, pawn to a8, promoting to a queen. The new queen attacks the rook on d5 and the bishop on f8 at the same time.

The pattern. We come out a queen ahead. Promotion. The pawn reaches the last rank and becomes a queen, and everything else was about making that possible. In the endgame, the passed pawn is the plan. If you were tempted by rook to c1, check, Black answers bishop to c5 and the chance is gone.

Puzzle 4: Quiet move (master, rated 2590)

Black to play. White just played queen to f7. Take a moment to look at the whole board. The winning move gives up material. Can you see why it works?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/03yEO. It was rated 2590 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qxf2+ — Black: Queen takes on f2, check.
2. Kh1 — White: King to h1.
3. Rg8 — Black: Rook to g8.
4. Nxh6 — White: Knight takes on h6.
5. gxh6 — Black: Pawn takes on h6.

Queen takes on f2, check. We give up the queen for a pawn. White’s only move is king to h1. Rook to g8. White takes. Knight takes on h6. Pawn takes on h6. That wins the knight.

The pattern. We come out a piece 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. If you were tempted by knight takes on f2, White answers rook to d4 and the chance is gone.

One puzzle at a time

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

• Back-rank mate that 800s miss
• Trapped piece that 1400s miss
• Promotion that 2000s miss
• Quiet move that 2600s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 012tD, 00YeV, 04DFs, 03yEO from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.