Daily Chess Puzzle #8: Mate in three, Discovered check, Quiet move and Sacrifice

Four puzzles, four patterns: the mate in three, the discovered check, the quiet move and the sacrifice. 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 800 to 2500.

Puzzle 1: Mate in three (beginner, rated 892)

White to play. Black just played bishop takes on h3. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. The black king on h8 is short of squares. Two targets, one move. Can you find the fork?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00hgt. It was rated 892 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Re8+ — White: Rook to e8, check.
2. Rxe8 — Black: Rook takes on e8.
3. Rxe8+ — White: Rook takes on e8, check.
4. Kh7 — Black: King to h7.
5. Qg8# — White: Queen to g8, checkmate.

Rook to e8, check. The rook attacks the king on h8 and the rook on a8 at the same time. Black takes. Rook takes on e8. Rook takes on e8, check. The king cannot go to g8, because our queen on c4 controls that square. So Black has just one move: king to h7. Queen to g8, checkmate.

The pattern. A mate in three. Every move is a check, so the opponent never gets a free move to defend. When you have the initiative, keep checking until the net closes.

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Puzzle 2: Discovered check (intermediate, rated 1512)

Black to play. White just played pawn takes on g4. It wins a knight, or so it seems. Notice the white king on g1 and the white queen on f2, close together. Can you see the check that starts it all?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01tjv. It was rated 1512 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. Kxf2 — White: King takes on f2.
3. fxg4+ — Black: Pawn takes on g4, check.
4. Kg1 — White: King to g1.
5. gxh3 — Black: Pawn takes on h3.

Queen takes on f2, check. The king cannot go to f1, because our queen on f2 controls that square. White takes. King takes on f2. And now, pawn takes on g4, check. The pawn steps aside, and our rook on f8 now looks straight at the white king on f2. White steps out of check. King to g1. Now, pawn takes on h3. That wins the rook.

The pattern. We win the rook for a pawn. A discovered check. The piece that moves is not the one giving check; it steps aside and the piece behind it does. The moving piece is free to do anything it likes, because the king has to deal with the check first.

Puzzle 3: Quiet move (advanced, rated 2265)

White to play. Black has just played bishop takes on e1. It wins a rook, or so it seems. The first move is a check. Which piece gives it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00OR6. It was rated 2265 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. Qf6+ — White: Queen to f6, check.
2. Kg8 — Black: King to g8.
3. Nf5 — White: Knight to f5.
4. Qxf5 — Black: Queen takes on f5.
5. Qxf5 — White: Queen takes on f5.

Queen to f6, check. The king cannot go to g7, because our queen on f6 controls that square. Black’s only move is king to g8. Knight to f5. Black accepts. Queen takes on f5. Queen takes on f5. That wins the queen.

The pattern. We come out 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 4: Sacrifice (master, rated 2457)

Black to play. White has just played queen takes on d6. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. The strongest move here is a quiet one. What is it?

Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02Yz2. It was rated 2457 in the Lichess database we took it from; ratings there shift a little as people solve it.

Solution

1. h3 — Black: Pawn to h3.
2. Qxe5+ — White: Queen takes on e5, check.
3. Kh7 — Black: King to h7.
4. Qf5+ — White: Queen to f5, check.
5. Qxf5 — Black: Queen takes on f5.

Pawn to h3. White takes. Queen takes on e5, check. And now, king to h7. White plays queen to f5, check. Queen takes on f5. That wins the queen.

The pattern. We come out a piece ahead. A sacrifice is not a gift. We give up material because what comes next is worth more: a mate, a winning attack, or the material back with interest. Always calculate to the end of the line first. If you were tempted by rook takes on e3, White answers pawn takes on e3 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 three that 900s miss
• Discovered check that 1500s miss
• Quiet move that 2300s miss
• Sacrifice that 2500s miss

Sources and disclosure

Puzzles 00hgt, 01tjv, 00OR6, 02Yz2 from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0). New puzzles every day on the RankUp Chess channel and on our videos page.