Mate in three puzzles: free printable worksheets
Three PDF worksheets, twelve positions each, with a full answer key. Print them, copy them, hand them out. No sign-up, no watermark, nothing to buy.
You are looking at the page that describes the worksheets, not the worksheets themselves. The three printable PDFs are at reflexchess.com/worksheets/mate-in-three
PDFMate in Three · Easy12 positions · Rating 615–1252 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →PDFMate in Three · Intermediate12 positions · Rating 1308–1853 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →PDFMate in Three · Advanced12 positions · Rating 1898–2245 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →What is on each sheet
Two pages of twelve numbered diagrams with a box under each one to write the move in, and a third page with the answer key. Each answer gives the line in algebraic notation and one sentence saying why it works, which is enough for a parent or a volunteer coach to mark a sheet without knowing the motif themselves. There is a name, date and score line at the top, because these are built to be handed out and handed back.
The three sheets are the same motif at three difficulty bands, so a coach running a mixed group can give the strongest board the Advanced sheet and the newest player the Easy one and have everybody working on the same idea.
What to look for
Three moves, and the king is mated at the end of them. Work backwards: decide which square he is going to be mated on, then find the two moves that put him there.
Three positions from the Easy sheet
Every position is taken from a real game, rated by how often club players actually solve it. The full set behind these sheets is 120 positions rated 615 to 2289.
How clubs use them
- Warm-up. Ten minutes at the start of a session, boards away, sheets face down until you say go.
- Homework. One sheet a week between meetings. The answer key page can be kept back and handed out afterwards.
- Grouping. Give the three bands to three tables and compare answers at the end. Everyone has been looking at the same pattern.
- Away from screens. Some clubs cannot put children on devices at all. This is the same training on paper.
Want the same positions on a board that moves?
These sheets are cut from the mate in three skill in the free Reflex Chess trainer, which has 120 positions in five levels and tells you straight away whether you were right, which is the one thing paper cannot do.
Train mate in three puzzles in the app · Read the mate in three guide · All worksheets