# Find the best move: chess puzzles One move wins something, and it isn't checkmate. A fork, a pin, a skewer. Try five right here, one from each belt, then print 100 more with answers. HTML version: https://remarkablechess.com/best-move-chess-puzzles ## Try five best move puzzles 1. White belt, rating 700. Black to move. Find the move that wins material. FEN: `3r3k/p1q3pp/2B5/2Rn1Q2/1P3P2/P5P1/6KP/8 b - - 1 39` 2. Yellow belt, rating 1012. White to move. Find the move that wins material. FEN: `r1b1k2r/pp1qbppp/4pn2/3p4/Q2P4/2P5/PP2BPPP/RNB2RK1 w kq - 3 10` 3. Orange belt, rating 1355. Black to move. Find the move that wins material. FEN: `8/p3r1k1/1p2q2p/2p2pP1/4p3/1NP1Q1PK/PP3P2/3R4 b - - 0 34` 4. Brown belt, rating 1654. White to move. Find the move that wins material. FEN: `8/4rr1p/2p2kp1/1p2R3/2pP2P1/7P/PP5K/4R3 w - - 0 37` 5. Black belt, rating 2056. White to move. Find the move that wins material. FEN: `4Rbk1/pp3p1p/3p1Qp1/3P1q2/8/P6P/r4PPK/8 w - - 5 28` ## Answers 1. **1... Ne3+ 2. Kf2 Nxf5** Knight to e3, check. King to f2. Knight takes f5. Fork. The knight checks the king and attacks the queen on f5 at the same time. The king has to move, and the knight takes the queen. ([Lichess puzzle](https://lichess.org/training/8MCTH)) 2. **1. Bb5 O-O 2. Bxd7** Bishop to b5. Castles kingside. Bishop takes d7. Pin. The bishop attacks the queen, and the queen is stuck on the line in front of its king. Whatever Black does, the queen is lost for a bishop. ([Lichess puzzle](https://lichess.org/training/0Vnly)) 3. **1... f4+ 2. Kg2 fxe3** Pawn to f4, check. King to g2. Pawn takes e3. Discovered attack. The pawn steps forward and opens a check from the queen on e6. The pawn now attacks the white queen, and after the king moves, it takes it. ([Lichess puzzle](https://lichess.org/training/0GUpN)) 4. **1. g5+ Kg7 2. Rxe7** Pawn to g5, check. King to g7. Rook takes e7. Deflection. The pawn check chases the king away from the rook on e7. That rook is then attacked by both white rooks and guarded only once, so White wins it. ([Lichess puzzle](https://lichess.org/training/0LQiF)) 5. **1. Qxd6 Kg7 2. Qxf8+** Queen takes d6. King to g7. Queen takes f8, check. Pin. The bishop on f8 can't move, because the rook on e8 is behind it, aimed at the king. Qxd6 takes a pawn and adds a second attacker on the bishop, and Qxf8+ wins it. ([Lichess puzzle](https://lichess.org/training/0s8fQ)) ## Find the best move PDFs for every belt 100 puzzles per PDF, one per page, the answer on the next. Print on A4 or Letter, or open on a tablet. - White belt (Find the best move for beginners, rating 400–800), Vol 1: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-beginners-vol-1), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-beginners-vol-1.pdf) - White belt (Find the best move for beginners, rating 400–800), Vol 2: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-beginners-vol-2), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-beginners-vol-2.pdf) - Yellow belt (Find the best move for improving beginners, rating 800–1200), Vol 1: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-novice-vol-1), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-novice-vol-1.pdf) - Yellow belt (Find the best move for improving beginners, rating 800–1200), Vol 2: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-novice-vol-2), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-novice-vol-2.pdf) - Orange belt (Find the best move for casual players, rating 1200–1600), Vol 1: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-club-vol-1), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-club-vol-1.pdf) - Orange belt (Find the best move for casual players, rating 1200–1600), Vol 2: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-club-vol-2), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-club-vol-2.pdf) - Brown belt (Find the best move for strong players, rating 1600–2000), Vol 1: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-advanced-vol-1), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-advanced-vol-1.pdf) - Brown belt (Find the best move for strong players, rating 1600–2000), Vol 2: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-advanced-vol-2), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-advanced-vol-2.pdf) - Black belt (Find the best move for experts, rating 2000–2500), Vol 1: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-expert-vol-1), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-expert-vol-1.pdf) - Black belt (Find the best move for experts, rating 2000–2500), Vol 2: [landing page](https://remarkablechess.com/sets/best-move-expert-vol-2), [PDF](https://remarkablechess.com/assets/sets/best-move-expert-vol-2.pdf) ## What is a best move puzzle? A position from a real game where one move wins something: usually a piece, sometimes the queen. You only have to find that first move. The answer shows the short line that follows, your move, the reply and your follow-up, so you see exactly what you win and why. ## A step up from mate in 1 In a mate in 1 you know what you're looking for: the king. Here you don't. You look at the whole board and ask what's loose, what's lined up, what can be hit twice. That's the habit that wins real games. Mate in 1 gets easy after a belt or two. These keep getting harder all the way to Black belt. ## The patterns you'll meet A fork attacks two things at once. A pin freezes a piece in front of a bigger one. A skewer is a pin the other way round: the big piece moves and the one behind it falls. A discovered attack moves one piece out of the way so another can strike. Once you know them, you start seeing them in your own games. ## Where the puzzles come from Every puzzle comes from a real game in the Lichess open puzzle database and has been played by Lichess players, which is how it got its rating. We pick them by rating, so each belt is a step up from the last. ## How to use the PDFs Each PDF has 100 puzzles, one per page, with a small grid under the board to write your moves. Turn the page and the answer is at the top. Print on A4 or Letter in black and white, or open it on a tablet and write on it with the pen. ## Questions ### Are these chess puzzles free? Yes. The Find the best move PDFs here are free to download, no account or signup. ### Are the answers included? Yes. Every puzzle has its own page, and the answer is at the top of the next page: your move, the best reply, and your follow-up. ### Which belt should I start with? New to chess puzzles? White belt. If you have a Lichess or Chess.com puzzle rating, match it: White 400–800, Yellow 800–1200, Orange 1200–1600, Brown 1600–2000, Black 2000–2500. When in doubt, start one belt lower. ### Is this harder than mate in 1? Yes, a bit. You don't know what you're aiming for, so you have to look at the whole board. If a set feels too hard, try Mate in 1 at the same belt first, then come back. ### What if I find a different good move? Every puzzle has one move that clearly wins. Another move might look good, but it lets the other side escape. Check the answer and play through the line to see why.