Solve Chess Puzzles with These 5 Tips and Tricks

Chess puzzles are a great way to sharpen your skills as you start to get more and more serious about Chess. Not only are they fun, but they can also help you think outside of the box. Continue reading to learn about what exactly Chess puzzles are.

How to Solve Chess Puzzles

The entire goal of Chess puzzles is to make the best possible move in a sequence. In the Coolmath Games version of Chess puzzles, Checkmate, every single puzzle will end with you getting Checkmate. 

At the top of the screen, the game will tell you how many moves you have until you need to get Checkmate. The easier puzzles will only require you to make 1 or 2 moves, while the harder ones may require 4 or 5. Be as efficient as possible with your moves in order to solve the puzzle and progress to the next one.

Best Methods

It can be difficult for newer players to solve Chess puzzles, especially when they are starting out. Not to worry though, we have a few tips that will help you become a Chess puzzle professional. Sooner or later, you’ll be solving these puzzles like they’re nothing.

Practice Chess first

Learning how to solve Chess puzzles is a great way to improve your skills and gain a better understanding of how the game works. However, it definitely isn’t the best way to learn the essential basics of Chess. Instead, we recommend starting out with Chess and learning how every piece works first. Once you feel extremely comfortable with the game's mechanics and have played against many opponents, you can supplement your Chess journey with Checkmate.

If you are completely new to Chess, we recommend reading our blog on how to play Chess. It is chock full of the basics that you will need to begin your checkerboard expedition. 

Start out simple

You may be tempted to move up to the harder Chess puzzles as soon as you can. However, we recommend that you really get the basics of Chess puzzles down before you move on. There is no shame in being a beginner in this niche mini-game. Take your time and get a really good feel for it!

Look for tactics

There are several common strategies that you will repeatedly see in Chess puzzles. There are tons of different Chess tactics, such as forking two of your opponent's pieces with your Knight, or pinning down two of their pieces with a Bishop. 

You can learn more about these Chess tactics with our blog on Five Winning Attacks. All of these attacks will be needed at some point or another as you continue to learn how to solve Chess puzzles. Pay attention, and take plenty of notes if you need them! Chess is a scholarly game, so don't be afraid to take notes.

Take your time

One of the luxuries of Checkmate is that there is no time limit. You can take all of the time that you need to make the perfect choice. Take advantage of this by planning out every single move and how it will affect the game. Ask yourself questions, like how the opponent can respond and whether you have left any of your own pieces vulnerable.

Ask for help

In the corner of the screen, there is a button with a lightbulb on it. Once selected, this light bulb will give you a hint on how to start the puzzle. While there is definitely some fun in trying to solve every single puzzle on your own, don’t be too proud to ask for help when you need it. If you have been working on a puzzle for more than five minutes, it might be time to throw in the towel and ask for help.

So now that you have learned some basic tips on how to solve Chess puzzles, make sure to go and play Checkmate! Afterward, you can go back to our Chess page and see how it has helped your overall Chess strategy.