Mate in two

How to solve mate in two

In a mate-in-two puzzle you make a move, your opponent replies, and your second move is checkmate, however your opponent defends. The first move can be a check that drives the king where you want it, a sacrifice that tears open the king's shelter, or a quiet move that takes away its last escape square.

Work in order: checks first, then captures, then threats. After each candidate move, ask yourself what your opponent can reply. The right move leaves no reply that saves the king.

Mate in two is also a classic genre of composed chess problems, where a composer has built the position around a single solution, ideally a surprising one. The puzzles here are something else. They come from real games, where a player really did have the chance to find the mate.

How the puzzles work

There are 150 puzzles here. Choose a level above the board. Within each level the puzzles get harder and harder, and when you come back you pick up where you left off.

Your opponent makes the first move, then it's your turn. If you get stuck, Hint shows which piece to move, and Show the solution plays the rest. The theme only shows once the puzzle is done, but here you already know what you're looking for.

In Puzzle training you get puzzles in this theme at your own level, and see how you're doing in each theme.

More puzzles

• Mate in one
• Mate in three
• Fork
• Pin
• Skewer
• Discovered attack
• Double check
• Sacrifice
• Deflection
• Attraction
• Hanging piece
• In-between move
• Back-rank mate
• Smothered mate
• Promotion
• Endgame
• Rook endgames
• Pawn endgames
• Zugzwang

The puzzles come from Lichess, fetched on October 2, 2026.

Updated November 6, 2026