How to play Chess Puzzles
Each puzzle is a position from a real game. Your opponent has just moved (the highlighted squares), and now there’s a winning idea for you. Find the best move by tapping a piece and then a square, or by dragging it.
If your move is right, the other side replies and you keep going until the puzzle is over. Most puzzles take one to three moves. A wrong move doesn’t end the puzzle: try again, ask for a Hint (it shows the move), or press Show answer.
Any move that gives checkmate counts, even if it isn’t the one in the answer.
The daily three
Every day there are three puzzles: easy, medium and hard, the same for everyone. Green means you solved it without help, yellow means you solved it after a wrong move or a hint, and red means you looked at the answer. Finish all three to keep your streak going, then share your result.
Practice
Practice gives you puzzles near your puzzle rating, which starts at 1200. Solving one without help raises it (more for a harder puzzle) and missing one lowers it, so the puzzles stay about as hard as you can handle. Pick a theme to practise one idea, like mate in 2, forks or back-rank mates.
Tips
- Look at checks, captures and threats first, for both sides.
- Ask what your opponent’s last move left undefended.
- A piece that gives up material often isn’t a mistake in a puzzle: look for what it wins back.
Questions
Where do the puzzles come from? The Lichess puzzle database, which Lichess gives away for free (public domain). We picked about 2,700 well-liked ones and check every move with our own chess engine.
Can I change the board and pieces? Yes, on the chess page. Puzzles use the same pieces and squares.
Where are my streak and rating kept? In this browser, on this device.