Mate in three

How to spot it

Mates in three are where calculation starts. You cannot see them by pattern alone: you have to picture the position two moves ahead and check every defence. The good news is that almost all of them are built from the patterns in the earlier sets.

Work backwards. First find the final mating picture (a back-rank mate, a queen on h7, a knight check against a boxed-in king). Then ask what is missing: a defender that must be removed, a square that must be covered, a king that must be driven one step further. Your first two moves supply exactly that.

Prefer forcing moves: checks first, then captures, then threats. Forcing moves limit the opponent’s replies, which keeps the calculation short and reliable. If the opponent threatens mate himself, you have no time for anything but checks.

Puzzles

Ten puzzles, rated 1500 to 1900. A wrong move shows the engine’s refutation, and a missed puzzle comes back for review.