Hook Mate Chess Puzzles — Rated 1200

10 hook mates rated between 1200 and 1399, averaging 1312. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.

Hook mate uses a rook, knight and pawn together, with the knight protected by the pawn and the rook cutting off the king. It appears more often than its obscurity suggests.

These are pitched at 1200-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1200 is one that players around 1200 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.

Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.

Hook Mate puzzles rated 1200

  1. Hook Mate puzzle 1, rated 1386a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1386 · White to play after Ne6
    Show solution

    Nf6+ Kg7 Rh7#

  2. Hook Mate puzzle 2, rated 1343a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1343 · White to play after Kh8
    Show solution

    Qxh6+ gxh6 Rxh6+ Kg7 Rh7#

  3. Hook Mate puzzle 3, rated 1283h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1283 · Black to play after Kf2
    Show solution

    Rf1#

  4. Hook Mate puzzle 4, rated 1300h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1300 · Black to play after Kh3
    Show solution

    Nf4+ Kg3 Rg2#

  5. Hook Mate puzzle 5, rated 1227a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1227 · White to play after Kh5
    Show solution

    Rh6+ Kg4 Rh4#

  6. Hook Mate puzzle 6, rated 1354h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1354 · Black to play after Ke5
    Show solution

    Rd5#

  7. Hook Mate puzzle 7, rated 1291a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1291 · White to play after Kf8
    Show solution

    Rh8+ Ke7 Re8#

  8. Hook Mate puzzle 8, rated 1366a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1366 · White to play after Kc6
    Show solution

    Rxc7+ Kd6 c5+ Ke6 Re7#

  9. Hook Mate puzzle 9, rated 1293a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1293 · White to play after Qe6
    Show solution

    Rxh7+ Rxh7 Rxh7+ Kf8 Rh8+ Ke7 Re8#

  10. Hook Mate puzzle 10, rated 1272a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1272 · White to play after Nxg7
    Show solution

    Nf6+ Kh8 hxg7+ Kxg7 Rxh7#

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Frequently asked questions

What is a hook mate in chess?

Hook mate uses a rook, knight and pawn together, with the knight protected by the pawn and the rook cutting off the king. It appears more often than its obscurity suggests.

What does a puzzle rating of 1200 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1200 is one that players rated around 1200 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1312, so they suit 1200-rated players.

Are these hook mate puzzles free?

Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.