Daily Chess Puzzle #3: Mate in two, Discovered attack and Knight fork

Three puzzles, three patterns: the mate in two, the discovered attack and the knight fork. 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 1000 to 2200.

Puzzle 1: Mate in two (beginner, rated 1034)

White to play. Black has just played king to f8. The black king on f8 is short of squares. The king is running out of squares. Can you find the winning check?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02Ack. It was rated 1034 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rd8+ — White: Rook to d8, check.
2. Ne8 — Black: Knight to e8.
3. Rxe8# — White: Rook takes on e8, checkmate.

Rook to d8, check. The rook attacks the king on f8 and the bishop on c8 at the same time. So Black has just one move: knight to e8. Now, rook takes on e8, 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 knight takes on e5, Black answers bishop to f5 and the chance is gone.

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Puzzle 2: Discovered attack (intermediate, rated 1661)

Black to play. White just played queen to f3. And the white rook on a7 has nothing defending it. Notice the white king on g1 and the white queen on f3, close together. Which capture wins material?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02qhV. It was rated 1661 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Bxc6 — Black: Bishop takes on c6.
2. Qxc6 — White: Queen takes on c6.
3. Qxa7 — Black: Queen takes on a7.

Bishop takes on c6. The bishop steps aside, and our queen on e7 now looks straight at the white rook on a7. White takes. Queen takes on c6. Queen takes on a7. That wins the rook.

The pattern. We come out a rook ahead. A discovered attack. One move creates two threats: the piece that moves attacks something, and the piece it uncovers attacks something else. Your opponent can only meet one of them.

Puzzle 3: Knight fork (advanced, rated 2135)

White to play. Black has just played bishop to b4. It looks safe. It is not. Where can our knight land to attack both at once?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00LZl. It was rated 2135 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Nxd4 — White: Knight takes on d4.
2. Nxd4 — Black: Knight takes on d4.
3. Qa4+ — White: Queen to a4, check.
4. Nc6 — Black: Knight to c6.
5. Bxf5 — White: Bishop takes on f5.

Knight takes on d4. The knight attacks the bishop on f5 and the knight on c6 at the same time. Black takes. Knight takes on d4. And now, queen to a4, check. The queen attacks the king on e8 and the bishop on b4 at the same time. Black tries knight to c6. Now, bishop takes on f5. That wins the bishop.

The pattern. We come out a piece ahead. A knight fork. One knight, one jump, two targets, and your opponent can save only one of them. Before every move, check whether your knight is a single jump from the king and another heavy piece. If you were tempted by bishop takes on f5, Black answers knight takes on f5 and the chance is gone.

One puzzle at a time

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

• Mate in two that 1000s miss
• Discovered attack that 1700s miss
• Knight fork that 2100s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 02Ack, 02qhV, 00LZl from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.