♟️ Checkmate Puzzles

White to move — find the checkmate in one move. Every puzzle is generated fresh, from queen mates to rook-and-bishop combinations.

Common Core MP.1Common Core MP.7

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How it works

1You always play White, and White always has a checkmate available in exactly one move.

2Click one of your pieces to see its legal moves highlighted on the board.

3Click a highlighted square to make that move.

4If it delivers checkmate, you win the round — otherwise you'll see what the winning move was.

Worked example

A lone king trapped on the back rank, with your queen one square away and your king cutting off its escape, is a classic one-move checkmate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know chess to play?

Just the basic rules of how each piece moves — the game highlights legal moves for you, so you're only solving the "which move wins" part.

Are the puzzles always solvable?

Yes — every position is generated and verified to have at least one checkmate-in-one before it's shown to you.

What if there's more than one checkmate?

Any move that delivers checkmate counts as correct, not just one "intended" answer.

For teachers and parents

Standard: Problem solving and structural reasoning (Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice) (MP.1, MP.7).

In the classroom: Great for building the same pattern-recognition and if-then reasoning skills used in algebra, in a context that doesn't look like math class.

At home: If your child gets stuck, ask them which squares the trapped king could possibly run to — spotting the escape squares is most of the puzzle.

Check out the rest of Mathly Live.