Chess Tactics
Climb a ladder of 100 verified checkmate puzzles, from mate-in-1 to mate-in-3, against a defender that always finds the toughest reply. Earn stars, a puzzle rating and high scores.
Chess Tactics is a checkmate puzzle game for anyone who loves that moment when a combination clicks. Every position arose in a played-out game and has been checked by a mate solver, so there is always a forced checkmate waiting to be found. Your job is to spot it: white or black to move, mate in one, two or three.
The puzzle ladder starts with single-move mates and climbs through two-move and three-move combinations, each with its own difficulty rating. Make your move and the computer defends with the most stubborn reply, so you have to see the whole line, not just the first check. Choose Relaxed with five hearts, Ranked with three hearts and bonus points, or Blitz with a clock on every puzzle. A wrong move costs a heart, solving without mistakes earns three stars, and your puzzle rating rises through titles as you improve. Progress, stars and your best run are saved.
Chess Tactics is great training for club players and a friendly way for newer players to learn the classic mating patterns that decide real games. Tip: look at checks first, then captures, then quiet moves that take away the king's escape squares.
How to play
Pick a mode and press Climb. Each puzzle shows whose turn it is and how many moves the mate takes. Tap a piece and a highlighted square, or drag it, to play your move; the computer answers with its best defence. Deliver checkmate within the stated number of moves to solve the puzzle and climb to the next rung. Wrong moves cost a heart, and the run ends when your hearts run out. Hints show the piece to move, then the move itself, but cost stars.
Controls
- Mouse / tap: Select a piece, then a highlighted square
- Drag: Drag a piece onto a highlighted square
- Arrow keys + Enter / Space: Move the cursor and select or move
- H: Hint
- Backspace: Reset the puzzle position
- 1 / 2 / 3: Choose Relaxed, Ranked or Blitz on the title screen
- L: Open the puzzle ladder
- P / Esc: Pause
- M: Mute
- R / Enter: Restart after a run
Category: Board games
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