Chessle

Most puzzles fall into one of three buckets — checkmate-in-N, win material, or find the only defence. Look at material, king safety, and whose turn it is before you touch a piece. If white is up a piece and black to move, you're probably defending.

In that order. A move that gives check leaves the opponent very few legal replies, which is exactly what a puzzle wants. Walk every check, then every capture, then every direct threat — the right move is almost always one of them.

A puzzle isn't solved when you find your move — it's solved when you've checked the only sensible reply doesn't refute it. Submit only after you can name what the opponent plays back and see why your follow-up still works.

Dark green = exact ply. Light green = right piece, wrong square (you had the idea, just the wrong destination). Tan = right square, wrong piece (the square is the target, switch which piece arrives there). Grey = wrong on both axes. Most second-attempt solves come from acting on the tan signal.

If the puzzle says two moves, the answer is exactly two — not one and not three. A one-move mate doesn't appear in a two-move puzzle. Use the count to constrain your search: ‘what does my opponent play, and what's my second move that finishes it?'

Move pieces around freely while you're calculating — only Submit grades the attempt and burns one of your six tries. If the move-pip row at the top is full but you're not sure, take a piece back and try a different ordering.