Bible Chess

Hard Chess Puzzles: Can You Find the Mate?

12 puzzles · rated 1814 to 2305 · answers under each board

These are the hardest checkmates in Bible Chess, each rated 1800 or higher. The first move is usually the one you would dismiss at first: a quiet move, a retreat or a sacrifice.

Give each one a few honest minutes before you open the answer. Then play through the whole line, defences included.

How to solve them

The side to move is at the bottom of each board. White’s pieces are gold and Black’s are stone, drawn as the biblical figures of Bible Chess: the queen is a Judge, the rook a Tower, the bishop a Prophet, the knight a Scout and the pawns are Shepherds.

Puzzle 1: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1814

White: king c1, queen c6, rook d1, bishop e3. Black: king d8, bishop d6, knight e7, pawn c7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rxd6+ cxd6 2. Bb6#

  1. Rook d1 to d6, taking the bishop, check. Black answers: pawn c7 to d6, taking the rook.
  2. Bishop e3 to b6. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 06FKc (CC0)

Puzzle 2: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1829

White: king g1, queen h7, rooks f1 and f3. Black: king f6, rook e6, pawns f5 and g6.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rxf5+ gxf5 2. Rxf5#

  1. Rook f3 to f5, taking the pawn, check. Black answers: pawn g6 to f5, taking the rook.
  2. Rook f1 to f5, taking the pawn. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 06DT8 (CC0)

Puzzle 3: Black to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1833

White: king g4, pawn g3. Black: king g7, queen f2, pawn g6.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qf5+ 2. Kh4 Qh5#

  1. Queen f2 to f5, check. White answers: king g4 to h4.
  2. Queen f5 to h5. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 08v3M (CC0)

Puzzle 4: White to move, mate in 3

HardRating 1847

White: king f6, rook b2, pawn h2. Black: king h5, pawn g4.

Hint

Your rook moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1. Rb8 g3 2. h3 g2 3. Rh8#

  1. Rook b2 to b8. Black answers: pawn g4 to g3.
  2. Pawn h2 to h3. Black answers: pawn g3 to g2.
  3. Rook b8 to h8. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle Rmcek (CC0)

Puzzle 5: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1869

White: king e6, pawns c6 and d7. Black: king d8, pawn f5.

Hint

Your king moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1. Kd6 f4 2. c7#

  1. King e6 to d6. Black answers: pawn f5 to f4.
  2. Pawn c6 to c7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 09Pcz (CC0)

Puzzle 6: Black to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1897

White: king e6, bishop e7, pawn f4. Black: king g6, rook d3, bishop e8, pawn f5.

Hint

Your bishop moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Bf7+ 2. Ke5 Rd5#

  1. Bishop e8 to f7, check. White answers: king e6 to e5.
  2. Rook d3 to d5. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0EMec (CC0)

Puzzle 7: Black to move, mate in 3

Very hardRating 1938

White: king c1, rook d1, knight d2, pawns b2, c3 and e3. Black: king e7, queen d3, rook b8, knight c6.

Hint

Your knight moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1... Nb4 2. cxb4 Rc8+ 3. Nc4 Rxc4#

  1. Knight c6 to b4. White answers: pawn c3 to b4, taking the knight.
  2. Rook b8 to c8, check. White answers: knight d2 to c4.
  3. Rook c8 to c4, taking the knight. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 005wy (CC0)

Puzzle 8: White to move, mate in 3

Very hardRating 1957

White: king h2, queen h5, rooks g4 and f7. Black: king h8, queen e8, rook g8, bishop g7, pawns e5 and h7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1. Rh4 Bh6 2. Rxh7+ Kxh7 3. Qxh6#

  1. Rook g4 to h4. Black answers: bishop g7 to h6.
  2. Rook f7 to h7, taking the pawn, check. Black answers: king h8 to h7, taking the rook.
  3. Queen h5 to h6, taking the bishop. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle NrfzT (CC0)

Puzzle 9: White to move, mate in 3

Very hardRating 1986

White: king f3, rook d1, pawns f4 and g5. Black: king f5, rook b5, pawn b4.

Hint

Your rook moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1. Rd6 Rb6 2. Rxb6 b3 3. Rf6#

  1. Rook d1 to d6. Black answers: rook b5 to b6.
  2. Rook d6 to b6, taking the rook. Black answers: pawn b4 to b3.
  3. Rook b6 to f6. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle NNWgV (CC0)

Puzzle 10: Black to move, mate in 4

Very hardRating 2048

White: king h4, queen g3, bishop g4. Black: king g7, queen f1, pawn g6.

Hint

Your pawn moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... g5+ 2. Kh5 Qf7+ 3. Kxg5 Qf6+ 4. Kh5 Qh6#

  1. Pawn g6 to g5, check. White answers: king h4 to h5.
  2. Queen f1 to f7, check. White answers: king h5 to g5, taking the pawn.
  3. Queen f7 to f6, check. White answers: king g5 to h5.
  4. Queen f6 to h6. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 9iNaN (CC0)

Puzzle 11: White to move, mate in 4

Very hardRating 2151

White: king f7, rook g7, pawn f4. Black: king h6, bishop f5, pawns h5 and g6.

Hint

Your king moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1. Kg8 Be6+ 2. Kh8 Bg8 3. Rxg8 g5 4. fxg5#

  1. King f7 to g8. Black answers: bishop f5 to e6, check.
  2. King g8 to h8. Black answers: bishop e6 to g8.
  3. Rook g7 to g8, taking the bishop. Black answers: pawn g6 to g5.
  4. Pawn f4 to g5, taking the pawn. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 5Og2e (CC0)

Puzzle 12: White to move, mate in 4

Very hardRating 2305

White: king d2, rook b6. Black: king a1, bishop b3, pawn g4.

Hint

Your rook moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1. Rxb3 Ka2 2. Kc2 g3 3. Rc3 Ka1 4. Ra3#

  1. Rook b6 to b3, taking the bishop. Black answers: king a1 to a2.
  2. King d2 to c2. Black answers: pawn g4 to g3.
  3. Rook b3 to c3. Black answers: king a2 to a1.
  4. Rook c3 to a3. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle EPSJO (CC0)

Questions

What makes a chess puzzle hard?

Usually the first move: it is quiet, gives away material, or only works because of a reply several moves later.

What do the ratings mean?

They are the puzzle ratings from Lichess, where these positions come from. The higher the number, the stronger the players who solve it.

More chess puzzles