Mate in one

How to spot it

Every mate needs two things: a check the king cannot escape, and no flight square. Before you play any check, ask three questions: can the king step away, can the check be blocked, can the checking piece be captured? If all three answers are no, it is mate.

Mates in one are missed far more often than you would think, at every level. The habit that fixes it: on every move, look at all your checks first, starting with captures that check. It takes ten seconds and wins games.

Pay attention to the enemy king’s own pieces. Pawns that never moved, a rook stuck next to the king or a queen in the way often take away the flight squares for you.

Puzzles

12 puzzles, rated 700 to 1350. A wrong move shows the engine’s refutation, and a missed puzzle comes back for review.