Beginner chess puzzles
A mixed set for newer players: checkmates in one and two moves, forks, pins and loose pieces, all rated under 1250.
About beginner chess puzzles
A mixed set for newer players: checkmates in one and two moves, forks, pins and loose pieces, all rated under 1250. A good place to start before you pick a single motif.
How to spot it
- Start every puzzle by listing checks, captures and threats for the side to move.
- Say the idea out loud: a fork, a pin, a back rank. Naming it makes the next puzzle easier.
- If you miss one, press Show solution and replay it from the start until you could play it without looking.
A worked example
R
B
KR
BB
Q
QB
K
RWhite to move. Black has just played Bd6. Find the best move.
Solution: 23. Bg5+ Kd7 24. Qe6#
Bg5+ checks the king, so your opponent has to answer the check. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: A mixed set for newer players: checkmates in one and two moves, forks, pins and loose pieces, all rated under 1250.
The highlighted squares show Black's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1186 rating).
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Questions
How are these puzzles chosen?
Each set mixes ten motifs, such as mate in 1, mate in 2, forks, pins and back rank mates, picked at this rating band from the Lichess puzzle database.
Where do these puzzles come from?
They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.
Are the puzzles free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.