Bible Chess

Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles with Answers

20 puzzles · rated 700 to 1943 · answers under each board

In a mate in 2 you play a move, your opponent answers, and your second move is checkmate, whatever they played.

The first move is often a check or a capture that forces the reply. In the harder ones it is a quiet move that takes away the last escape square.

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

EasyRating 700

White: king g1, rooks e1 and e2, pawns f2, g2 and h2. Black: king g8, rook d8, pawns f7, g7 and h7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Re8+ Rxe8 2. Rxe8#

  1. Rook e2 to e8, check. Black answers: rook d8 to e8, taking the rook.
  2. Rook e1 to e8, taking the rook. Checkmate!

Puzzle 2: Black to move, mate in 2

EasyRating 942

White: king g1, bishop f1, pawn h2. Black: king e8, queen e1, knight h1.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qf2+ 2. Kxh1 Qxf1#

  1. Queen e1 to f2, check. White answers: king g1 to h1, taking the knight.
  2. Queen f2 to f1, taking the bishop. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 03U5L (CC0)

Puzzle 3: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1018

White: king g1, rook d8, bishop d3, knight f5. Black: king g8, bishop f8, pawns f7 and g7.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Ne7+ Kh8 2. Rxf8#

  1. Knight f5 to e7, check. Black answers: king g8 to h8.
  2. Rook d8 to f8, taking the bishop. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0JCvT (CC0)

Puzzle 4: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1078

White: king h4, queen h5, bishop g6, pawn g5. Black: king g7.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qh7+ Kf8 2. Qf7#

  1. Queen h5 to h7, check. Black answers: king g7 to f8.
  2. Queen h7 to f7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 08Xdb (CC0)

Puzzle 5: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1124

White: king g1, pawns f2 and g2. Black: king f6, queen d5, knight d4.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Ne2+ 2. Kf1 Qd1#

  1. Knight d4 to e2, check. White answers: king g1 to f1.
  2. Queen d5 to d1. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 02Oc8 (CC0)

Puzzle 6: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1148

White: king h1, rook f1, pawn g2. Black: king g7, queen e5, pawn g3.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qh5+ 2. Kg1 Qh2#

  1. Queen e5 to h5, check. White answers: king h1 to g1.
  2. Queen h5 to h2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 02HLs (CC0)

Puzzle 7: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1163

White: king h1, rook g1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king h8, queen f2, rook h5.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Rxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Qh4#

  1. Rook h5 to h2, taking the pawn, check. White answers: king h1 to h2, taking the rook.
  2. Queen f2 to h4. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0AfvF (CC0)

Puzzle 8: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1185

White: king g1, rooks e1 and d2, pawn h2. Black: king g8, queen f3, rook f8, knight e3.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qf1+ 2. Rxf1 Rxf1#

  1. Queen f3 to f1, check. White answers: rook e1 to f1, taking the queen.
  2. Rook f8 to f1, taking the rook. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 00Tya (CC0)

Puzzle 9: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1218

White: king f2, rooks e1 and f7. Black: king g4.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rg1+ Kh4 2. Rh7#

  1. Rook e1 to g1, check. Black answers: king g4 to h4.
  2. Rook f7 to h7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 03Msh (CC0)

Puzzle 10: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1268

White: king g6, rooks h7 and a8. Black: king f8, bishop e8, knight f7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rxf7+ Kg8 2. Rxe8#

  1. Rook h7 to f7, taking the knight, check. Black answers: king f8 to g8.
  2. Rook a8 to e8, taking the bishop. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0I1wj (CC0)

Puzzle 11: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1300

White: king g2, pawns f2, h2 and g3. Black: king h5, queen g4, pawn h4.

Hint

Your pawn moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... h3+ 2. Kf1 Qd1#

  1. Pawn h4 to h3, check. White answers: king g2 to f1.
  2. Queen g4 to d1. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 01tyT (CC0)

Puzzle 12: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1344

White: king h1, rooks g1 and g4, pawn h4. Black: king g8, queen h5, rook h6, knight f4, pawn g6.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qxh4+ 2. Rxh4 Rxh4#

  1. Queen h5 to h4, taking the pawn, check. White answers: rook g4 to h4, taking the queen.
  2. Rook h6 to h4, taking the rook. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 03ag9 (CC0)

Puzzle 13: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1367

White: king e2, queen f5, pawns d5 and e5. Black: king d8, pawn c7.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qf8+ Kd7 2. e6#

  1. Queen f5 to f8, check. Black answers: king d8 to d7.
  2. Pawn e5 to e6. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 05OmH (CC0)

Puzzle 14: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1409

White: king h1, queen f3, bishop f7, knight e7. Black: king h8, rook f8, pawns g7 and h7.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Ng6+ hxg6 2. Qh3#

  1. Knight e7 to g6, check. Black answers: pawn h7 to g6, taking the knight.
  2. Queen f3 to h3. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 07Qdg (CC0)

Puzzle 15: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1458

White: king h2, queen h4, rook f2, knight g5. Black: king g8, rook e7, pawn g6.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rf8+ Kxf8 2. Qh8#

  1. Rook f2 to f8, check. Black answers: king g8 to f8, taking the rook.
  2. Queen h4 to h8. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0265C (CC0)

Puzzle 16: Black to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1508

White: king h2, rook g1, pawn f2. Black: king h8, queen g7, rook g8, bishop g2, pawns h3 and f4.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qg3+ 2. fxg3 fxg3#

  1. Queen g7 to g3, check. White answers: pawn f2 to g3, taking the queen.
  2. Pawn f4 to g3, taking the pawn. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 06wsY (CC0)

Puzzle 17: Black to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1554

White: king h3, queen g4. Black: king f6, queen e1, pawns f3 and g5.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qh1+ 2. Kg3 Qg2#

  1. Queen e1 to h1, check. White answers: king h3 to g3.
  2. Queen h1 to g2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0EtoC (CC0)

Puzzle 18: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1630

White: king f3, rooks e1 and d7, bishop b5. Black: king f8, bishop e7, pawns f7 and g7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rd8+ Bxd8 2. Re8#

  1. Rook d7 to d8, check. Black answers: bishop e7 to d8, taking the rook.
  2. Rook e1 to e8. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0DMB1 (CC0)

Puzzle 19: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1685

White: king e1, queen e2, bishop f7, knight e5. Black: king d8, pawns c7 and d7.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Nc6+ dxc6 2. Qe8#

  1. Knight e5 to c6, check. Black answers: pawn d7 to c6, taking the knight.
  2. Queen e2 to e8. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 015Di (CC0)

Puzzle 20: White to move, mate in 2

Very hardRating 1943

White: king d5, pawns g3, h4 and c7. Black: king f5, pawn g6.

Hint

Your pawn moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. c8=Q+ Kf6 2. Qf8#

  1. Pawn c7 to c8, promoting to a queen, check. Black answers: king f5 to f6.
  2. Queen c8 to f8. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0VNg4 (CC0)

Questions

What does mate in 2 mean?

The side to move can force checkmate in two moves, against any defence.

Is the first move always a check?

No. Many mate in 2 puzzles start with a quiet move that does not check or capture but leaves the opponent no good answer.

Is there one solution?

Each puzzle here has a single winning first move. The answer shows the strongest defence and the mate that follows.

More chess puzzles