Chess Puzzles
Play ChessMini ChessSurvivalTakesCheckSmotheredMate in 1Mate in 2Mate in 3Chess SolitaireChain CaptureKing and PawnRook EndgameZugzwangQueen vs Pawn
Top PlayersBlogThinking Three Moves Ahead in the Mate in 3 PuzzleThe Most Common Checkmate Patterns Every Beginner Should KnowWhy Solving One Chess Puzzle a Day Makes You BetterMastering Chain Capture
Play ChessMini ChessSurvivalTakesCheckSmotheredMate in 1Mate in 2Mate in 3Chess SolitaireChain CaptureKing and PawnRook EndgameZugzwangQueen vs Pawn
Top PlayersBlogThinking Three Moves Ahead in the Mate in 3 PuzzleThe Most Common Checkmate Patterns Every Beginner Should KnowWhy Solving One Chess Puzzle a Day Makes You BetterMastering Chain Capture

Mate in 2

Force checkmate in two moves against Black’s best defense.

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
♟

Ready to play?

Timer starts on click. Solve faster for more points.

Want to go deeper? How to Solve Mate in 2 Puzzles

Rules
  • You play White.
  • Deliver checkmate in 2 moves.
  • Black always plays its best defense.
  • Stalemate counts as a loss.

How to Play

1

Two-move forced mate

White plays a move, Black plays their best reply, then White delivers checkmate. The solution must work against every Black response.

2

Find the key first move

The first move sets up an unstoppable mating threat. It may be a check, a quiet move, or even a sacrifice.

3

Consider all of Black’s replies

After your key move, Black will try to delay or escape. Your second move must deliver checkmate regardless of what Black plays.

4

You play White

White moves first. After your move, Black responds once, then you must checkmate. The puzzle fails if mate is not delivered on move 2.