What this worksheet practises

Checkmate in one is the best first puzzle type for children. The goal is concrete, the answer is short, and kids learn the most common mating patterns (back rank, queen next to the king, smothered mate) by seeing them again and again.

Every position comes from a real game played on Lichess. We kept only puzzles with 16 pieces or fewer so the board is easy to read, and we verified that exactly one move gives checkmate.

Try two puzzles now

It is White's move. Find the move that checkmates Black right away. These are the first two puzzles from the sheet.

Puzzle 1: White to move
Show answer

Qa8#

Puzzle 2: White to move
Show answer

Ra1#

Tips for parents and teachers

  • Teach the three questions: Is it check? Can the king move away? Can anything block or capture the checking piece?
  • Let children draw an arrow on the board if they do not know chess notation yet.
  • Go through wrong answers together: find the escape square and mark it with an X.

Want more than 12 puzzles?

Karotto's chess course walks children from how the pieces move to checkmate patterns and tactics, one short lesson at a time. A friendly voice reads every step aloud, and when your child is stuck, the app shows why a move works instead of just giving the answer.

Download on the App Store → Get it on Google Play →

Questions

Is this chess worksheet really free?

Yes. You can print it as many times as you like for your own children, your class or your chess club. We only ask that you share the link to this page rather than uploading the PDF somewhere else.

What age is the Mate in 1 worksheet for?

It suits children of about 6–9 who already know how all the pieces move. Age matters less than experience: if your child solves fewer than 7 of the 12 puzzles, try the previous sheet in the series first.

Does my child need to know chess notation?

No. Children can draw an arrow on the board to show their move. The answer key uses standard notation (for example Qh7#) and also shows each first move as a green arrow.

Where do the puzzles come from?

Every position comes from a real game in the Lichess.org puzzle database, which is released into the public domain (CC0). We picked easy, popular puzzles and checked each one with a chess program so that it has only one correct answer.

Puzzle positions: Lichess.org puzzle database, CC0. Worksheet design © Karotto, free for personal and classroom use.