Daily puzzle
Daily Chess Puzzle - Find the Checkmate
The Playnook Daily Chess Puzzle gives you one short, real chess position every day. Your job is to find checkmate: either in one move, or in two moves where your first move forces the win. The opponent’s last move is highlighted so you know what just happened on the board.
All puzzles come from real games played on Lichess and are released under the CC0 public licence by the Lichess puzzle database. Every position on this page was checked again by computer before it was added, so each puzzle has a forced mate. If more than one move gives checkmate at the end, any of them counts.
Puzzles are a fast way to get better at chess. They train you to spot checks, captures and threats, the same patterns that decide most real games. A few minutes a day is enough, and the streak counter helps you keep the habit.
It is free, works on phones and computers, needs no account, and every square and piece is labelled for screen readers.
How to Solve the Daily Chess Puzzle
- Look at whose turn it is: the text above the board says White or Black to move.
- Look at the highlighted squares. They show the opponent’s last move.
- Tap the piece you want to move, then tap the square where it should go.
- If the move is right, the puzzle continues (in mate-in-2 the opponent replies). If it is wrong, nothing is played and you can try again.
- Find checkmate to solve the puzzle and grow your daily streak.
Tips for Chess Puzzles
- Check every check first. Most mating puzzles start with a check.
- Count the squares around the enemy king. Which ones are covered, and which piece could take the last escape square?
- Look for sacrifices. Giving up your queen is fine if it leads to mate.
- In mate in 2, think about every reply the opponent has after your first move.
- Stuck? Use Show solution, then play through the idea again with Retry.
Daily Chess Puzzle FAQ
When does a new puzzle appear?
A new puzzle appears every day at midnight in your own time zone. Everyone who plays on the same date gets the same puzzle.
Where do the puzzles come from?
From real games in the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 licence. We checked every position again with a computer before adding it.
What does my streak mean?
Your streak is the number of days in a row you solved the daily puzzle. It is saved only on your own device.
Can I play more than one puzzle a day?
Yes. Tap Practice puzzle for a random puzzle from our collection of 366 checked puzzles.
Want a full game? Play Chess against the computer, read the best chess openings for beginners, or see all daily games. Screen reader players can also read about accessible chess.