Choose a daily position, read its context, and try to meet the task condition before checking engine guidance.
A classic two-bishop checkmate drill. Do not try to give check at every opportunity. Coordinate the bishops to restrict neighboring diagonals and use your king to take away more squares. The goal is to gradually reduce the space available to the black king.
White to move
Start the task →White has only one pawn, so every king move matters. Do not rush the pawn forward — first work out how to restrict the black king and take the squares needed for a safe promotion.
White to move
Start the task →A position from Rashid Nezhmetdinov - Yuri Kotkov, Krasnodar 1957. Black's king is severely restricted and White's pieces are ready to attack. There is no need for a quiet move here - calculate the concrete forcing sequence leading to mate.
17th RSFSR Championship, Krasnodar · White to move
Start the task →Pushing the passed pawn immediately looks tempting, but it allows Black to win the race. White must first exploit the position of both kings and gain exactly enough time to stop the h-pawn.
Ladislav Prokeš endgame study · White to move
Start the task →1898. Reigning World Champion Emanuel Lasker has reached a dangerous position against Carroll. Black's queen, rook and bishop are surrounding the exposed king, but finishing the attack requires complete precision. Black to move — find the mate in 3.
Black to move
Start the task →The most natural moves fail. The solution to this famous composition was deliberately designed to look like a move no sensible player should ever make. Do not search only for checks and immediate threats.
Checkmate — Novelty Tourney, 1st Prize · White to move
Start the task →Black has many possible defenses, while the obvious checks do not solve the problem. Look for a move that does not attack the king directly, but makes every Black move weaken the position and open a different mating route.
1st Prize, Dubuque Chess Journal · White to move
Start the task →Only 5 pieces remain on the entire board, yet the solution is far from obvious. The queen already seems perfectly placed near the Black king — but the key is a surprising quiet move. Can you find the mate in 2?
Joseph Graham Campbell — The Chess Player’s Chronicle, 1861 · White to move
Start the task →Only 6 pieces and an almost empty board. The position looks as if the solution should be obvious — but the key move is not a check. Can you find the move after which Black cannot avoid mate?
Robert Lincoln — Ideal-Mate Review, October · White to move
Start the task →The position looks almost symmetrical, but a subtle asymmetry hides the solution. The natural rook moves fail. Can you find the quiet move that begins a forced mate in 3?
Andrzej Babiarz — “Christmas Problem · White to move
Start the task →The c6-pawn is only a few steps away from promotion, but Black seems to have everything under control. Can you find the move that removes the final obstacle and makes promotion unstoppable?
White to move
Start the task →The white king appears safe behind its pawn cover, but Black’s pieces are ready to break through. Find the move that opens attacking lines and puts White under severe pressure.
Bad Pistyan · Black to move
Start the task →The black king is surrounded by pieces from both sides, and the queen on g2 looks dangerous. White needs a quiet move that leaves Black only one defence.
White to move
Start the task →The h7-pawn threatens immediate promotion while the queen on a2 controls the first rank. Black must use the promotion as the opponent’s forced tempo.
Black to move
Start the task →The board is crowded with queens, so almost every move changes several lines at once. The solution requires tracking forced captures without losing tempo.
White to move
Start the task →Black’s heavy pieces defend the back rank, while the e5-knight has several attractive jumps. Choose the line that keeps the pressure without surrendering the initiative.
Magnus Carlsen – Sipke Ernst · 2004 · Corus Group C, Wijk aan Zee · White to move
Start the task →The black king is restricted by White’s pieces, but the queen can check from b2. The solution begins by placing the king beyond the defence’s reach.
White to move
Start the task →White’s rooks are ready to attack along the second rank, but the black queen can still give checks. First find a safe square for the king.
White to move
Start the task →The black king stands behind the f6-knight, while White’s rooks are ready to enter the e-file. Decide whether a material sacrifice creates enough forcing tempi.
Vladimir Kramnik – Igor Saric · 1991 · Leningrad · White to move
Start the task →Black’s king is shielded by heavy pieces, but the back rank is overloaded. White can exploit the tied defenders with one forcing invasion.
White to move
Start the task →The black king is shielded on only one side, while White’s rook controls the seventh rank. A forcing check must clear the rook’s route to the back rank.
White to move
Start the task →The black king on a2 is boxed in by its own pieces and the edge of the board. Check every square from which the white queen can give check.
White to move
Start the task →The knight and queen are close to the black king, but the b7-rook guards the seventh rank. Find a sequence that forces Black’s pieces onto poor squares.
White to move
Start the task →Black’s rook is active and the h4-pawn can become dangerous. White needs a move with tempo that restricts the king and activates both diagonals.
White to move
Start the task →Black’s pawn is one step from promotion and the white king is far away. Drawing requires an immediate gain of tempo with the rook and pawn.
White to move
Start the task →The position offers many immediate checks, but the correct move is quiet. White must disrupt the coordination of Black’s heavy pieces.
White to move
Start the task →The white king has only an apparent pawn shield. Black must first remove the piece defending the key square near the king.
Heikki Westerinen – Mikhail Tal · 1982 · Moscow · Black to move
Start the task →Both sides have identical kingside pawn chains. The result depends on the white king’s route to the centre and correct use of opposition.
White to move
Start the task →The b6-pawn is held by the king, bishop, and a7-pawn. A direct promotion attempt is not enough; the rook must first find an active route.
White to move
Start the task →Black threatens to invade on a1, but the king has very few squares. White must begin a forcing sequence before the defence consolidates.
Mikhail Tal – Vasily Smyslov · 1959 · Candidates Tournament, Bled · White to move
Start the task →White’s pawn has reached the seventh rank, but Black controls the promotion square. A forcing sequence must combine king safety with the pawn’s advance.
White to move
Start the task →The passed c6-pawn is close to promotion, but the black king can blockade it. The key is to improve the bishop without wasting a tempo.
White to move
Start the task →The white king is checked by the queen on b7 while the c7-pawn is one step from promotion. Choose a king square that preserves both assets.
White to move
Start the task →Black’s pieces restrict their own king. White can open lines for the bishops, but every forced reply must be calculated.
Alexander Alekhine – S. V. Gajdukevic · 1907 · Kislovodsk · White to move
Start the task →The white king is exposed and Black’s rooks press the first rank. Find a precise queen move that combines defence with counterplay.
White to move
Start the task →Black’s queen and both rooks surround the white king. The attack depends on choosing the right order of checks and exchanges.
Magnus Carlsen – Ian Nepomniachtchi · 2022 · Airthings Masters KO · Black to move
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