How Suvi's daily puzzle judges you
You play the side at the bottom of the board, and when it's Black to play the board turns round for you. The line above the board says who moves and how many moves you have, such as "White to play · mate in 2". Only your moves count towards that number, not the defender's replies.
Suvi's engine checks each move rather than comparing it with a stored answer. Any move that still forces mate in the stated number counts, and the defender always plays the reply that holds out longest. A wrong move bounces back and adds to your mistakes. The first hint lights up the piece to move; a second shows the square. Positions come from games the engine plays out itself, so they can look untidy. Don't expect a textbook setup.
Checks, captures, threats
Look at moves in this order, and list all of them before you choose one:
- Checks. Every check, including ones that give a piece away. A check limits the defender's replies, which is why most Suvi puzzles start with one.
- Captures. Especially of the pieces guarding the king.
- Threats. Quiet moves that threaten mate next move. They're the hardest to see.
Don't dismiss a check because it loses your queen. In a mating puzzle material doesn't matter: only mate does.
Start from the king, not your pieces
Checkmate needs three things at once: the king is in check, it has no safe square to step to, and the check can't be blocked or the checking piece taken. So before you look at your own army, study the enemy king:
- Which squares round it are free, and which are already attacked?
- Which are filled by its own pieces? Those pieces are on your side today.
- Which defenders could capture a checking piece or step in front of it?
Often only one or two squares stand between the king and mate. Look for the check that covers them.
Mate in two and three: think in forcing lines
In a mate in two, your first move has to leave the defender with no good answer. After a check, go through every legal reply, usually one to three, and find a mate against each. The board plays the most stubborn reply, so a plan that works against only one defence will be found out.
A quiet first move works only if every reply loses, including the defender's own checks and captures against you. Mate in three often means two checks that drive the king somewhere it can be trapped, then the mate.
Mating patterns to recognise
- Back-rank mate: the king sits on its back row behind its own pawns. A rook or queen lands on that row and the pawns become the cage.
- Supported queen: the queen checks from the square next to the king, guarded by another piece, so the king can't take her.
- Smothered mate: the king is boxed in by its own pieces and a knight checks from a square nothing can capture. A knight's check can't be blocked, so it's mate.
- Two-rook ladder: one rook cuts the king off along a row, the other checks on the next row, and they leapfrog until the king reaches the edge.
- Rook and knight in the corner: the king is in a corner, a rook checks from the square beside it, and a knight guards the rook and the last escape square.
- Double check: a move that checks with two pieces at once can only be met by moving the king. If the king has no safe square, it's mate.
- Promotion: a pawn on its seventh row can promote with mate. Suvi asks which piece you want, and a knight sometimes checks where a queen can't.
A routine for every puzzle
- Read the task line: who moves, and mate in how many.
- Study the enemy king: free squares, blocked squares, defenders.
- List every check, then every capture near the king.
- For each candidate, list the replies and look for mate against all of them.
- If no check works, look for a quiet move that takes the last square away or sets up a threat that can't be stopped.
- Still stuck? Take one hint for the piece, and try to find the square yourself.
If you only remember three things
- Checks first, all of them, even the ones that lose material.
- Look at the king's squares before your own pieces.
- The board finds the best defence, so your plan has to beat all of them.
Try it on today's chess puzzle.
Questions
- Why did my move bounce back when it wins material?
- Suvi only accepts moves that force mate in the number stated, against the best defence. A move that wins a piece, or mates more slowly, isn't the answer.
- Do I need to know chess notation?
- No. Tap or drag the pieces. On a computer you can also type a move, such as e2e4 or Qh5, and press Enter.
- Does a wrong move cost me my streak?
- No. Wrong moves are counted on your result, but you keep trying until you find the mate. Only choosing Show me to see the solution means today's puzzle won't count for your streak.
Play it now
Chess Puzzle is free on Suvi, on your phone or computer, no download.