Forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, removing the defender, decoys, trapped pieces and calculation.
- Yellow square: the piece to move (the "glowing piece" in the question).
- Stars: squares you could move to; only one is right.
- Letters A, B, C on squares: the options to choose from.
- Arrow: the last move, or a move the question gives you.
- Red square: a piece under attack.
- Blue square: a piece or square to watch.
Forks (double attacks)
One piece attacks two at once: knight, queen, rook, bishop, even the king and pawns.
There are three stars, and one star is a TRAP: stand there and your piece gets captured. Pick the double attack that's safe!
Show answer
Answer: ♕a1+
Why: The queen aims at the black knight and the black king at the same time. Black can save only one.
The queen is glowing. Find a square where it checks the black king and attacks another piece!
Show answer
Answer: ♕d3+
Why: The queen aims at the black knight and the black king at the same time. Black can save only one.
Pins
A pinned piece cannot move without exposing a bigger piece behind it. Pin, attack the pinned piece, escape pins.
The pinned black piece can't move. The glowing pawn steps up to threaten it, then you take it!
Show answer
Answer: 1.h5 e3 2.hxg6
Why: The black bishop is pinned and can't move, so you can take it.
The black bishop is pinned to the king by the rook. Which piece can the glowing knight take safely?
Show answer
Answer: ♘xf6+
Why: The bishop is pinned, so it can't take back the knight.
Discovered attacks and double check
One piece moves out of the way to unleash the piece behind it, sometimes giving two checks at once.
Moving the glowing piece gives a DISCOVERED CHECK. Pick the square where it can capture a black piece!
Show answer
Answer: ♘xg5+
Why: The piece behind checks the king, and the piece that moved is free to capture.
Find a double check that checkmates right away!
Show answer
Answer: ♖d8#
Why: The rook and bishop give check together, and the black king has nowhere to go.
Skewers
The reverse of a pin: attack the big piece in front, and when it moves, take the piece behind.
The queen is glowing. Where should the queen give check so it goes through the king to the black rook?
Show answer
Answer: ♕a4+
Why: The king moves away, and the queen takes the rook.
White to move. Find the best move!
Show answer
Answer: ♖a4+
Why: The rook checks along the row, the king steps away, and the rook takes the rook.
Removing the defender
Capture, chase away or distract the guard, then win the piece it was protecting.
The arrow points to the guard. Capture straight away and you get taken back! There are three stars: pick the one that TAKES THE GUARD, then capture again.
Show answer
Answer: 1.♕xa6 bxa6 2.♖xe6
Why: You take the guard first, the black knight is left alone, and you win it: 3 points ahead.
Which black piece has a guard? The glowing piece takes the guard first, then you capture again!
Show answer
Answer: 1.♖xb6 axb6 2.♖xf6
Why: You take the guard first, the black bishop is left alone, and you win it: 3 points ahead.
Decoys, clearance and interference
Preparing moves: pull an enemy piece to a bad square, clear a line, or block one.
The glowing piece is the bait: move it where the king can take it. When the king takes the bait, it leaves its post, and you capture the other piece.
Show answer
Answer: 1.♗xh7+ ♔xh7 2.♕xf8
Why: You lose a bishop worth 3 points and win a rook worth 5: you gain 2 points.
The glowing piece is the queen. First move it off the f-file with check!
Show answer
Answer: 1…♕g6+ 2.♔f2 ♖xf8+
Why: The queen leaves the f-file with check, and the white king must move. Now the black rook takes the bishop on f8, and the white rook can no longer take the queen.
Trapping pieces
Surround an enemy piece until it has no safe square left, then win it.
The glowing piece will trap an enemy piece. Your move!
Show answer
Answer: 1…f3 2.♗xf3 ♖xf3
Why: The enemy piece had nowhere to run, and you captured it.
White to move. One black piece is about to be trapped. Tap that piece.
Show answer
Answer: B (b3) · 1.♖b2 ♖d8 2.♖xb3
Why: The black queen on b3 has almost no squares to run to. The white rook goes to b2 to block the last one, and the queen is caught.
What is the threat? Defence
Before every move, ask what the opponent is threatening, then find the best way to defend.
There are three stars, and one runs onto a square that's under attack. Pick the safe way to save it!
Show answer
Answer: ♘e7+
Why: Your piece is safe, and you lost nothing.
White to move. Find the best move!
Show answer
Answer: ♖xe4
Why: The pinned knight is safe now.
Thinking moves ahead
Picture the board one, two and three moves ahead without touching the pieces.
The glowing knight needs to reach a3 in as few moves as possible. Where does your first move go?
Show answer
Answer: ♘c4
Why: From c4, the knight is just 1 move away from a3.
Before touching, picture it in your head: on which star is the glowing piece safe from capture? Only one star is safe.
Show answer
Answer: ♖h6
Why: You saw it ahead of time: no black piece can capture there.
Mixed puzzles with no hints
No theme is given, just like a real game: the child works out what the position offers.
White to move. Find the best move!
Show answer
Answer: ♕b4#
Why: The white queen wins the game instead of letting it be a draw.
The glowing piece can capture several black pieces. Which capture is best?
Show answer
Answer: ♔xd5
Why: You picked the most valuable piece without losing anything.
Keep practising in the Karotto app
Each theme above is a lesson in the app's chess course, with a voice that reads every question, hints when your child is stuck, and a replay of the opponent's answer after a wrong move.