Hook Mate Chess Puzzles — Rated 1600

10 hook mates rated between 1600 and 1799, averaging 1687. 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 1600-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1600 is one that players around 1600 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 1600

  1. Hook Mate puzzle 1, rated 1772a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1772 · White to play after Kxg8
    Show solution

    Re8+ Kf7 Rf8#

  2. Hook Mate puzzle 2, rated 1674a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1674 · White to play after Rxc2
    Show solution

    Rc8+ Ke7 Re8#

  3. Hook Mate puzzle 3, rated 1760a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1760 · White to play after Kf6
    Show solution

    Rxe6+ Nxe6 Rxe6#

  4. Hook Mate puzzle 4, rated 1715a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1715 · White to play after Kf7
    Show solution

    Rg7+ Ke8 Rg8+ Kd7 Rd8#

  5. Hook Mate puzzle 5, rated 1622h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1622 · Black to play after Nd6
    Show solution

    Rxg3+ Kf4 g5+ Ke4 Re3#

  6. Hook Mate puzzle 6, rated 1640h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1640 · Black to play after Ng3
    Show solution

    Rg1#

  7. Hook Mate puzzle 7, rated 1714h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1714 · Black to play after Nd6
    Show solution

    Rxb4+ axb4 Rxb4#

  8. Hook Mate puzzle 8, rated 1633h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1633 · Black to play after Qxg4
    Show solution

    Nf3+ Kg2 Rh2#

  9. Hook Mate puzzle 9, rated 1719h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1719 · Black to play after Kf2
    Show solution

    Rf1#

  10. Hook Mate puzzle 10, rated 1619a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1619 · White to play after Rxc2
    Show solution

    Rf8+ Kb7 Rb8#

Train hook mate puzzles at your rating →

Related puzzle sets

Browse all puzzle themes →

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 1600 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1600 is one that players rated around 1600 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1687, so they suit 1600-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.