Skip to content

Checkmate

A chess puzzle that puts you in Black’s shoes, tasked with finding the checkmate against White. The twist is that your own king may be absent, so you focus purely on the attack. It runs in the browser on desktop, phone, or tablet, with portrait orientation for touch or mouse play.

Checkmate — play free online

How to play

Standard chess rules apply. However, the following exceptions exist:
- The player is Black and must checkmate the White king.
- The Black king may or may not be present.
- Black moves from bottom to top, and White moves from top to bottom (this is important due to the pawns).

Questions people ask

Can I play Checkmate online for free?
Yes. Open Checkmate in this browser and press Play. There is no download or account required.
Do I need to install Checkmate?
No. The game runs inside the browser page, so there is nothing to install.
Does Checkmate work on mobile?
This game does not list touch controls. For the best experience, use a keyboard and mouse.