Mate in 3 Chess Puzzles — Rated 1400

10 mate-in-three puzzles rated between 1400 and 1599, averaging 1451. 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 1400-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1400 is one that players around 1400 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.

Mate in 3 puzzles rated 1400

  1. Mate in 3 puzzle 1, rated 1462h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1462 · Black to play after dxe5
    Show solution

    Rac8+ Kb1 Qxd1+ Bxd1 Rxd1#

  2. Mate in 3 puzzle 2, rated 1411a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1411 · White to play after Kg7
    Show solution

    Rxh7+ Kxh7 Rh1+ Kg7 Qh8#

  3. Mate in 3 puzzle 3, rated 1479h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1479 · Black to play after Nf3
    Show solution

    Qxf2+ Rxf2 Rd1+ Ne1 Rxe1#

  4. Mate in 3 puzzle 4, rated 1499a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1499 · White to play after Qf6
    Show solution

    Rxf8+ Kxf8 Rc8+ Kg7 Qh8#

  5. Mate in 3 puzzle 5, rated 1450h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1450 · Black to play after Kxf2
    Show solution

    Rc2+ Ke1 Re2+ Kf1 Rd1#

  6. Mate in 3 puzzle 6, rated 1440a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1440 · White to play after Qc2
    Show solution

    Qxf7+ Rxf7 Rc8+ Rf8 Rfxf8#

  7. Mate in 3 puzzle 7, rated 1404a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1404 · White to play after Kb8
    Show solution

    Qa6 Qc8 Nxc6+ Ka8 Qxa7#

  8. Mate in 3 puzzle 8, rated 1466a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1466 · White to play after Rxe3
    Show solution

    Ne7+ Rxe7 Qxd8+ Re8 Qxe8#

  9. Mate in 3 puzzle 9, rated 1413h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1413 · Black to play after Kg2
    Show solution

    Rxf2+ Rxf2 Qxf2+ Kh3 Qf1#

  10. Mate in 3 puzzle 10, rated 1489h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1489 · Black to play after Qxe8
    Show solution

    Qxd5+ Re4 Qxe4+ f3 Qxf3#

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Frequently asked questions

What is a mate in 3 in chess?

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.

What does a puzzle rating of 1400 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1400 is one that players rated around 1400 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1451, so they suit 1400-rated players.

Are these mate in 3 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.