Mate in two
A mate in two is usually a forcing first move (a check, a capture or a sacrifice) that leaves the defender only one reply, followed by the mate.
- 15 min
- 2 steps
- Lesson 21 of 132
In this lesson
- How to spot it
- Puzzles
Picking up where you left off.
How to spot it
A mate in two is usually a forcing first move (a check, a capture or a sacrifice) that leaves the defender only one reply, followed by the mate. The skill is to see the final mating picture first and then ask which move forces the king or a defender onto the right square.
Use the checklist from the pattern sets: back rank, h7/h2, the long diagonal, knight checks, discovered checks. A queen sacrifice that looks impossible is often the key, because it removes or drags a defender with check.
Always check the defender’s replies one by one. A real mate in two works against every answer, so do not stop at the reply you hope for.
Puzzles
Ten puzzles, rated 900 to 1450. A wrong move shows the engine’s refutation, and a missed puzzle comes back for review.
Lesson complete
Nice work.