Mate in 3 — Chess Puzzles

Solve free «Mate in 3» chess puzzles from the lichess database, from beginner to master. No account needed.

A mate-in-three is the same idea as a mate in two with one more layer: a forced net where every defence loses to the same finish. Three moves is where the solution stops being a pattern you recognise instantly and starts being something you have to calculate, which is exactly why they are worth practising.

How to spot it

• Look for the mating picture first — which piece delivers mate, and on which square — then work out how to reach it.
• The king is confined, or can be confined by a check that costs material.
• Forcing moves come first: checks, captures, and threats the opponent has to answer.
• Count the defender's replies at every step; three moves gives them more chances to escape than two.

A worked example

White: king h1, rook b8, pawns b7, g2 and h4. Black: king g4, rook b2, pawn g6. Black to move.

1. Kg3 is quiet — no check, no capture. It puts the black king where it covers h2, the square White would otherwise escape to.
2. White has nothing better than Rc8, getting ready to interpose. Rb1 then checks, and Rc1 is the only legal reply.
3. Rxc1 mates: g1 is covered by the rook, g2 is White's own pawn, and h2 belongs to the black king.

The idea The first move of a mate in three is often the quiet one. Picture the finish first — here a rook on the back rank against a king boxed in by its own pawn — then find the move that makes it unavoidable.