Mate in 2: knight to d2
li-0FVwIThe tactical motive
Mate in 2: the first move creates an unstoppable threat, the second delivers mate.
Difficulty 2040 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
Black to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king e4, bishop d3, knight e3, pawn f4 g4 b5 d5.
Black: king d6, bishop e7, knight b3, pawn c3 b6 g6 h7.
7 white and 7 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 45.
Solution & explanation
Main line
45... Nd2+ 46. Kd4 Bf6#
Why it works
- Great move! knight to d2 keeps the pressure (#1).
- Well found: bishop to f6 (#).
- The line ends in a forced mate in 2.
- If instead Kd4, then Bf6# and it is mate.
Types in this puzzle
Mate in 2
A forced checkmate in two moves.
Mate in two: your move, any reply, then the mating blow. Start with the most forcing first moves — checks and sacrifices that shrink the opponent's options to almost nothing. Against every single reply you must have a mate ready, so check them all without exception. The common failure is analyzing the pretty defense and forgetting the boring one.
Minor-piece endgame
Bishops and knights duel — geometry decides.
A minor-piece endgame leaves only bishops and knights with pawns, and geometry decides. The bishop loves an open board and play on both wings; the knight loves fixed pawns and outpost squares. Check which color squares the pawns stand on and where the knight can actually reach in time. Practical tip: against a knight, spread the play across both flanks — short legs cannot cover everything.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 014
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