Daily Chess Puzzle #25: Mate in two, Trapped piece, Knight fork and Deflection

Four puzzles, four patterns: the mate in two, the trapped piece, the knight fork and the deflection. 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 1000 to 2600.

Puzzle 1: Mate in two (beginner, rated 1048)

White to play. Black has just played rook to h7. The black king on h8 is short of squares. There is a forced mate here. Can you see how it starts?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/009bR. It was rated 1048 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rf8+ — White: Rook to f8, check.
2. Rxf8 — Black: Rook takes on f8.
3. Qxf8# — White: Queen takes on f8, checkmate.

Rook to f8, check. The rook attacks the king on h8 and the rook on e8 at the same time. Black’s only move is rook takes on f8. Queen takes on f8, checkmate.

The pattern. A mate in two. If you were tempted by knight takes on c5, Black answers queen to e7 and the chance is gone.

Want more like this? RankUp Chess has 6,000+ rated puzzles like these, sorted by level and theme, with hints and lessons, fully offline. No ads; pay once, no subscription.

Puzzle 2: Trapped piece (intermediate, rated 1431)

Black to play. White has just played queen takes on b7. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. And the white queen on b7 has nothing defending it. One of White’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/02FSn. It was rated 1431 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Na5 — Black: Knight to a5.
2. Qxa8 — White: Queen takes on a8.
3. Qxa8 — Black: Queen takes on a8.

Knight to a5. White takes. Queen takes on a8. Queen takes on a8. That wins the queen.

The pattern. A trapped piece. It has nowhere safe to go, and it falls.

Puzzle 3: Knight fork (advanced, rated 2071)

Black to play. White has just played rook takes on c5. It wins a bishop, or so it seems. And the white rook on c5 has nothing defending it. Two targets, one move. Can you find the fork?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02M1o. It was rated 2071 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Ne4 — Black: Knight to e4.
2. Rc6+ — White: Rook to c6, check.
3. Kf5 — Black: King to f5.

Knight to e4. The knight attacks the rook on d2 and the rook on c5 at the same time. White plays rook to c6, check. And now, king to f5.

The pattern. A knight fork. One knight, one jump, two targets, and your opponent can save only one of them.

Puzzle 4: Deflection (master, rated 2513)

White to play. Black has just played queen to f8. Notice the black king on h8 and the black queen on f8, close together. One defender is doing all the work. Can you find the move that drags it away?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/0CgFk. It was rated 2513 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Ng5 — White: Knight to g5.
2. Rxg5 — Black: Rook takes on g5.
3. Qxf8+ — White: Queen takes on f8, check.
4. Nxf8 — Black: Knight takes on f8.
5. fxe7 — White: Pawn takes on e7.

Knight to g5. Black takes. Rook takes on g5. And now, queen takes on f8, check. The queen attacks the king on h8 and the bishop on c8 at the same time. Black takes back. Knight takes on f8. Now, pawn takes on e7. The pawn steps aside, and our rook on f1 now looks straight at the black knight on f8.

The pattern. Deflection. If you were tempted by queen takes on f8, Black answers knight takes on f8 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:

• From a real 8-minute game: mate in 2
• Rated 1431: the trapped piece
• Knight fork that 2100s miss
• Find the deflection in 3 seconds

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 009bR, 02FSn, 02M1o, 0CgFk from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.