10 mate-in-three puzzles rated between 1200 and 1399, averaging 1324. 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.
Mate in three requires holding a branching tree in your head. Start from the mating picture you want and work backwards to the move that forces it, rather than searching forwards from checks.
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.
Qxc8+ Rxc8 Rxc8+ Qd8 Rxd8#
Rxd8+ Rxd8 Qe8+ Rxe8 Rxe8#
Qe5+ Nf6 Qxf6+ Rg7 Qxg7#
Qxh6+ gxh6 Rxh6+ Kg7 Rh7#
Rd1+ Kf2 Bc5+ Kg3 Rg1#
Qh7+ Kf6 Qxf7+ Kxg5 Qf4#
Rxh5+ gxh5 Rxh5+ Kg8 Rh8#
Qxh2+ Kf1 Bd3+ Ke1 Qe2#
Ng6+ hxg6 hxg6+ Nh5 Rxh5#
Bg5+ f4 Bxf4+ Kb1 Rd1#
Train mate in 3 puzzles at your rating →
Mate in three requires holding a branching tree in your head. Start from the mating picture you want and work backwards to the move that forces it, rather than searching forwards from checks.
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 1324, so they suit 1200-rated players.
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.