Short Chess Puzzles

About short puzzles

Short puzzles — typically two to three moves — require calculating a forcing sequence just long enough to prove the combination is sound. These puzzles build the calculation habit of thinking one or two moves ahead while maintaining tactical accuracy. Short puzzles cover all major tactical themes: discovered attacks, mating nets, and material combinations that resolve in a small number of moves. They are ideal for daily tactical training because they can be solved quickly but still require genuine calculation rather than instinct alone. Practising short puzzles daily, even for fifteen minutes, is one of the most reliable methods for systematic tactical improvement at every level of chess from beginner to advanced.

How to train short

Puzzle length is a calculation-depth exercise. Work out the whole line before playing the first move, rather than playing a move and then looking again.

Questions

How many short puzzles are there?

Enough that you will not repeat them — this set is drawn from a library of over 1,000,000 puzzles taken from real games, graded from easy to hard.

What level is this suitable for?

Children from about age 5 upward, once they know how the pieces move, through to rated tournament players. Start on the easy set and move up when you are solving most of them at a glance.