Week 10: Checkmate in 2
12-week course · lesson plan for a 60-minute live group class · for the coach
Lesson plan · Worksheet · Large print · Answer key · 12-week syllabus
Learning objective
Students plan two moves ahead: a forcing first move (usually a check), the only reply, then checkmate.
Before class (under 10 minutes)
Prerequisites: Weeks 3–4 (back-rank mate and mating patterns).
- Open "Week 10 demonstration".
- Have "Week 10 practice" ready in the Puzzles list.
Class plan, minute by minute
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0–5 min | Warm-up Two mates in 1 from week 4 on the shared board. |
| 5–20 min | Shared board: thinking two moves ahead Load "Week 10 demonstration": the first rook is given away to pull the defender off the back row. Ask: what is Black’s only reply? |
| 20–35 min | Puzzles on their own boards Puzzles → "Week 10 practice". Mixed-level group: "Week 10 all levels". |
| 35–52 min | Play each other Pair students and start. Challenge: before each check, ask what the other side can reply. |
| 52–60 min | Review Review questions below. Preview: next week, first openings. |
Shared-board demonstration
In the lesson app: Lesson library → Week 10 demonstration: Checkmate in 2.
White to move: checkmate in 2.
Checks, captures, threats: try the forcing moves first, and for each one find ALL the replies.
Answer: Rd8+ Rxd8 Rxd8#.
Puzzles on every student’s own board
In class: Puzzles → choose the set → Start puzzles. Each student solves on their own board while you watch every board live. A wrong move gets a reason or a hint (for example “look for a check”), and any checkmate counts as solved.
- Everyone: Week 10 practice: Checkmate in 2 (6 puzzles, including real-game puzzles from Lichess). The worksheet uses the same puzzles.
- Mixed-level group: Week 10 all levels: Checkmate in 2 (12 puzzles): the 3 easier ones first, then the practice set, then 3 harder ones, including real-game puzzles from Lichess. Each student goes at their own pace, so beginners stay with the easier puzzles while stronger students reach the harder ones.
- A whole group that needs more support: Week 10 easier: Checkmate in 2. A whole group ready for more: Week 10 harder: Checkmate in 2.
Check for understanding
- Which moves do you try first when looking for mate? Answer: Checks, then captures, then threats.
- Why give away a piece in a mate in 2? Answer: To pull a defender away or force the king onto a mating square.
- What must you check before playing the first move? Answer: Every reply the other side has, not just the one you hope for.
Help for beginners
Write the first move and the reply on the worksheet before the mate. Let students try their first move on the board: a wrong one gets a hint.
For stronger students
"Week 10 harder": real-game mates in 2 from Lichess.
Every position, answer and hint on this page is checked move by move with chess.js before it is published. Real-game puzzles come from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).