Morphy's mate

What is Morphy's mate?

In Morphy's mate the king stands in the corner, with one of its own pawns beside it. A rook holds the file in front of it, and a bishop gives check along the long diagonal.

It often starts with a sacrifice that opens the file for the rook or the diagonal for the bishop. The pattern is named after Paul Morphy. Read more under Morphy's mate.

Look for a king in the corner, an open file next to it and a bishop that can reach the long diagonal.

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 two
• Mate in three
• Fork
• Pin
• Skewer
• Discovered attack
• Double check
• Sacrifice
• Deflection
• Attraction
• Hanging piece
• In-between move
• Back-rank mate
• Smothered mate
• Arabian mate
• Anastasia's mate
• Boden's mate
• Opera mate
• Epaulette mate
• Swallow's tail mate
• Pillsbury's mate
• Promotion
• Endgame
• Rook endgames
• Pawn endgames
• Zugzwang

The puzzles come from Lichess, fetched on November 1, 2026.

Updated November 14, 2026