Why do We Love Checkmates in Two?

Everyone's favorite chess puzzle

I’m sure you’ve noticed them populating your social media feeds. The glorious mate in two puzzle. Grandmaster Johan Salomon posted this gem by composer Christian Wiehe.

Why are puzzles like this so popular now? ¹

First of all, they’re funny and compact. There’s a set-up, an escalation in tension, and then Bang: the punchline. That’s a lot of juice for a single post. Imagine showing up at an open-mic and a whole set is chess puzzles. Tomato juice it is.

There’s also a nice range of difficulty you can present with a mate in two. They can be easy enough to test a brand new player, while composed mates in two can stump a pro. A newer player can get a mate in two quite quickly if they happen on the right pattern.

Mates in two appeal to all levels, even my genius cat.

In my new chess puzzle book, PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION, chapter two is mates in two. Most of the 55 in that chapter are at a medium difficulty level, like these, chosen randomly by Fabi. Try along with the positions below (answers in footnotes).

Can you find Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli’s quickest mate against Boris Savchenko, in 2016?²

Black to Mate in Two

Next up: Alina Kashlinskaya vs. Katrina Skinke, 2007.³

White to Mate in Two

And a real stunner, by Olga Alexandrova against Nadezda Stojanovic. ⁴

White to Mate in Two

Play Like a Champion includes a chapter on composed problems, which are different than puzzles, which appear in real games. And some of those are not easy at all, like this mate in two by the Swiss composer Odette Vollenweider, who often used the male pseudonym Gabriel Baumgartner when publishing her work.

White to Move and Mate in Two

Did you get it yet? This one is gorgeous, so give it a few minutes till you check the answer in the footnotes⁵.

Plenty more puzzles to come to this substack, including more faves from PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION.

1. 1.Qh1! is the answer! Backwards moves are so beautiful, and this one shows off the linear powers of the queen, as she lines up a discovered mate, or Qa1. Christian Wiehe, Nationaltidende 27 Jan 1884.

2. 1…Qd1+ 2. Ke4 Qd5#

3. 1.Qxh6! Bxh6 2. Rh7#

4. 1.Rg8+ Kxg8 2. Qf8#

5. 1.Bf3! with the coolest line being …Ba2 2. 0-0-0, a worthy punchline.