Chess Problems: The Puzzle Side of Chess You've Never Tried (Until Now)
Find the only move that checkmates
https://chess-problems.pages.dev
You play games on Chess.com. You grind tactics. You watch recaps and study openings. At some point, you hear about something called chess problems — or compositions — and it sounds interesting. Puzzles where you're given a position and have to find the only way to checkmate. They're not taken from real games, but original works created by composers, like a crossword or a riddle. Every piece on the board is there for a reason, and there's exactly one correct solution.
So you look into it. And you hit a wall.
The databases exist, but they show you a static diagram and expect you to solve it in your head. The books exist, but they're written for people already deep in the world. And then there's the terminology — directmates, helpmates, selfmates, retros — a dizzying number of genres, each with its own conventions. It's fascinating from a distance, but there's no easy way in.
That's the gap. On Chess.com, you can play a game in seconds. You can jump into a tactics puzzle and move pieces on the board. But for chess problems? There's been no equivalent — no place to just try one and see what happens.
Now there is: https://chess-problems.pages.dev
Move pieces on the board. Get instant feedback. If you're stuck, get a hint from Stockfish. If you give up, watch the solution play out move by move — including the "tries" (moves that almost work) and all the sidelines. Filter by move count, piece count, year, or theme. Every problem has a shareable URL.
Start with a two-move directmate. White to play and checkmate in two. It sounds trivial — it's not. The key move is often the last thing you'd expect: a quiet retreat, an underpromotion, something that seems to give Black too much room. When you finally see why it's the only move that works, you'll understand what makes these puzzles different from tactics.
Tactics test your pattern recognition from real games. Chess problems test something else entirely — the beauty of a position that was designed, from nothing, to have exactly one hidden answer.
If you find any bugs, let me know. And if you find a problem you love, share the link.
