Chess puzzles by theme

Tactics are easier to find in a game once you have seen the same idea many times. Pick a theme below to read how it works and try a puzzle. With an account you get puzzles matched to your rating.

• Fork puzzles

  One piece attacks two targets

• Pin puzzles

  A piece that cannot move without losing something behind it

• Skewer puzzles

  Attack a valuable piece to win the one behind

• Discovered attack puzzles

  Move one piece to unleash another

• Double check puzzles

  Two pieces give check at once

• Sacrifice puzzles

  Give up material for something better

• Deflection puzzles

  Lure a defender away from its job

• Attraction puzzles

  Drag a piece onto a bad square

• Hanging piece puzzles

  Something is undefended

• Trapped piece puzzles

  A piece with no safe squares

• Quiet move puzzles

  No check, no capture, still decisive

• Zugzwang puzzles

  Any move the opponent makes loses

• Back-rank mate puzzles

  The king is boxed in by its own pawns

• Smothered mate puzzles

  A knight mates a king hemmed in by its own pieces

• Mate in 1 puzzles

  Checkmate in one move

• Mate in 2 puzzles

  Checkmate in two moves

• Mate in 3 puzzles

  Checkmate in three moves

• Kingside attack puzzles

  Go after the castled king

• Advanced pawn puzzles

  A pawn close to promotion decides

• Promotion puzzles

  Queen a pawn, or threaten to

• Opening puzzles

  Tactics from the first moves

• Middlegame puzzles

  Tactics with most pieces on the board

• Endgame puzzles

  Tactics with few pieces left

• Rook endgame puzzles

  Only rooks and pawns

• Pawn endgame puzzles

  Only kings and pawns