Free training

Mate in One — Beginner Training

A growing collection of free Lichess study packs that teach the classic checkmate patterns one at a time. Each pack has 64 mate-in-one puzzles built from real games — great for kids and new players learning to see checkmate. No account needed to start.

How to use these

1. Pick a pattern below and open its Lichess study.

2. Go through the chapters one at a time — each chapter is a single position. Read the short note at the top, then find the move that delivers checkmate.

3. Work from the top of the list downward — the packs are ordered from the easiest pattern to the trickiest.

Tip: the free LiChess Tools browser extension can turn a study into an interactive, self-paced drill (with optional spaced repetition).

#164 puzzles
Back-rank mate
The king is stuck on its own back rank behind its own pawns — a rook or queen swings onto that rank for checkmate.
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#264 puzzles
Boden's mate
Two bishops on criss-crossing diagonals checkmate a king boxed in by its own pieces.
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#364 puzzles
Double bishop mate
Two bishops side by side on parallel diagonals trap and checkmate the king.
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#464 puzzles
Anastasia's mate
A knight and a rook pin the king against the edge of the board for checkmate.
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#564 puzzles
Pillsbury's mate
A rook delivers mate while a bishop on the long diagonal cuts off the king's escape.
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#664 puzzles
Opera mate
A rook checks right next to the king while a bishop guards the rook — Morphy's famous finish.
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#764 puzzles
Arabian mate
A knight and a rook team up to checkmate the king tucked into the corner.
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#864 puzzles
Smothered mate
A lone knight checkmates a king completely hemmed in by its own pieces.
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#964 puzzles
Epaulette mate
The king's own pieces block its escape squares while a queen delivers checkmate.
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#1064 puzzles
Corner mate
A knight checks the cornered king while a rook or queen covers the remaining squares.
#1164 puzzles
Swallow's tail mate
A queen mates next to the king whose two diagonal escape squares are blocked — a 'V' shape.
#1264 puzzles
Morphy's mate
A bishop checks the king while a rook takes away every escape square.
#1364 puzzles
Hook mate
A rook, knight, and pawn lock together to mate the king on the edge — shaped like a hook.
#1464 puzzles
Triangle mate
A queen and rook line up a square away from the king, forming an inescapable triangle.
#1564 puzzles
Dovetail mate
A queen mates a king whose only two escape squares are blocked by its own pieces.
#1664 puzzles
Blind swine mate
Two rooks on the 7th rank combine to checkmate the king inside a tiny box.
#1764 puzzles
Balestra mate
A bishop delivers checkmate while a queen covers all of the king's escape squares.
#1864 puzzles
Kill box mate
A rook beside the king plus a queen a knight's-move away seal a 3×3 'kill box'.
#1964 puzzles
Vuković's mate
A rook checks the king on the edge while a knight covers the escapes and a piece defends the rook.

1,216 puzzles across 19 patterns · Puzzles sourced from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).