Level 2 · 6 min · 12 puzzles
Checkmate in one
Look at every check. If the king has no escape, it’s mate.
Practise it
Black to move
Checkmate in one move.
White just moved the king from d1 to e1.
- 1List every check you can give, every move.
- 2The king escapes by moving, capturing, or blocking. Mate means none works.
- 3A protected piece cannot be captured by the king.
The longer explanation
What makes it checkmate. A king in check has three ways out: move to a safe square, capture the piece giving check, or block it. Checkmate is a check where none of the three works.
Look for checks first. Before you do anything else on your turn, list every check you can give. It is a short list. For each one, ask whether the king has an escape. Beginners miss mate in one far more often than they should, simply because they never looked.
Protected pieces. A king cannot capture a piece that is protected, because that would put the king in check. That is why a queen next to the king, protected by another piece, is so strong.