Daily Chess Puzzle #6: Swallow's tail mate, Skewer and Exposed king

Three puzzles, three patterns: the swallow’s tail mate, the skewer and the exposed king. 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: Swallow’s tail mate (beginner, rated 1024)

White to play. Black has just played king to g7. 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/00CtS. It was rated 1024 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qh8+ — White: Queen to h8, check.
2. Kg6 — Black: King to g6.
3. Qh6# — White: Queen to h6, checkmate.

Queen to h8, check. We offer the queen, and the king cannot take it, because our rook on h2 protects it. Black’s only move is king to g6. Queen to h6, checkmate.

The pattern. A swallow’s tail mate. The queen checks from directly in front, protected by a rook or bishop, while the king’s own pieces sit behind it and take away the flight squares.

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Puzzle 2: Skewer (intermediate, rated 1631)

Black to play. White just played pawn to a3. Take a moment to look at the whole board. Can you find the skewer?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01kfz. It was rated 1631 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rxc7 — Black: Rook takes on c7.
2. Qxc7 — White: Queen takes on c7.
3. Rc8 — Black: Rook to c8.
4. Qxd6 — White: Queen takes on d6.
5. Rxc1+ — Black: Rook takes on c1, check.

Rook takes on c7. That wins the rook. White takes. Queen takes on c7. And now, rook to c8. White takes. Queen takes on d6. And now, rook takes on c1, check. The king cannot go to f1, because our rook on c1 controls that square.

The pattern. We come out two pawns ahead. A skewer. The more valuable piece is attacked first, and when it moves away, the piece behind it is taken. It is a pin turned back to front: look for two enemy pieces on one line with the bigger one in front.

Puzzle 3: Exposed king (advanced, rated 2100)

Black to play. White has just played queen takes on c5. It wins a bishop, or so it seems. The first move is a check. Which piece gives it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/03XXf. It was rated 2100 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Rh1+ — Black: Rook to h1, check.
2. Kc2 — White: King to c2.
3. Qxf5+ — Black: Queen takes on f5, check.
4. Ne4 — White: Knight to e4.
5. Qxe4+ — Black: Queen takes on e4, check.

Rook to h1, check. The king cannot go to e1, because our rook on h1 controls that square. White steps out of check. King to c2. And now, queen takes on f5, check. The king cannot go to b1, because our rook on h1 controls that square. White’s only move is knight to e4. Queen takes on e4, check. The queen attacks the king on c2 and the knight on e2 at the same time.

The pattern. We come out a pawn ahead. An exposed king. Once the pawn shelter is gone, checks come from everywhere and the defence cannot keep up. Open lines toward the king are worth more than a pawn.

One puzzle at a time

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

• Swallow’s tail mate that 1000s miss
• Skewer that 1600s miss
• Exposed king that 2100s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 00CtS, 01kfz, 03XXf from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.