Chess Puzzles: a tactics sprint that gets harder with every solve
Chess Puzzles is a timed run of chess puzzles taken from real games, each one a position where a single sharp idea wins. You get three minutes and three strikes. The first positions are rated around 600, and every correct solve pushes the next one about 70 points higher, up to 2000.
Play nowFree · No download · Runs in your browser
How to play
- Press Start sprint. The opponent plays one setup move, then it is your turn.
- Read the goal above the board: Mate in 1, Mate in 2 or Win material.
- Tap a piece to see its legal squares, then tap a dot, or drag the piece there.
- In a two-move puzzle, play your first move, watch the reply, then finish the job.
- Keep solving until the clock hits zero or you have used all three strikes.
What it exercises
Short tactical puzzles are how most players train their chess vision, and with the timer this works like a small tactics trainer.
Calculation
Mate-in-2 positions ask you to see your move, the best defence and your finishing blow before you touch a piece.
Pattern recognition
Back-rank mates, smothered mates, forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks keep coming back, and each one becomes easier to spot.
Logic under time
A wrong move costs a strike, so the sprint rewards checking a candidate move rather than playing the first one that looks good.
Tips
- Look at every check and every capture first. Most of these positions start with a forcing move.
- If the goal says Win material, look for a piece that is undefended or two targets one of your pieces can hit at once.
- Any move that delivers checkmate counts, even if it differs from the stored solution.
- The Hint lights up the piece to move but halves the points, so save it for positions where the clock matters more than the score.
- A solve is worth the puzzle rating divided by ten, so about 60 points early on and around 200 near the top. Getting deep into the run pays far more than rushing the early ones.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I play chess puzzles online for free?
Right here. The sprint runs in any modern browser on phone, tablet or computer, with no ads and nothing to install.
Are there chess puzzles for beginners?
Yes. Every run starts with positions rated around 600, mostly short mates, and the difficulty only rises as you keep solving.
Does it include mate in 2 puzzles?
It does. The set mixes mate in 1, mate in 2 and win-material tactics. In a mate in 2 the computer plays the defender's reply, and you then deliver mate.
Where do the puzzles come from?
They are 302 positions from real online games, taken from a public-domain puzzle collection and checked move by move so every solution is legal and every mate really is mate.
How hard do the chess tactics get?
Ratings run from roughly 600 to just over 2000. At the end of a run you see your top rating and a band, from Rookie below 900 to Master tactician at 1800 and above.
What happens when I play a wrong move?
The board shows the best move, you lose one of three strikes, and the next puzzle appears. A third strike or the end of the three minutes finishes the run.
Ready for a round?
It opens instantly in your browser. No sign-up needed to start.
Play nowMore games you might like
SudokuThe classic 9x9 number grid, solo or turn by turn against another player
Arrow EscapeTap the arrows off the board in the right order, without a single bump
Bolt OutUnscrew the build and fill each toolbox in the right order
Chess vs ComputerA full game of chess against our own engine, Beginner to Master
Gate SlideSlide each painted block out of the tray through a gate of its own color
Grid ClearDrop wooden blocks on an 8x8 grid and clear full rows and columns