Checkmate patterns
Mate in 4
A four-move forced mate — real calculation under control.
What is the mate in 4?
A mate-in-four is a forced checkmate that arrives on the fourth move no matter how the defender wriggles. At this depth the solution almost always opens with a sacrifice or a quiet, surprising move that the engine of your intuition resists.
Why the mate in 4 matters
Four moves is where most players' calculation starts to blur. Training mates this long stretches your visualisation and your discipline — you learn to hold a position in your head and check every defensive try without moving the pieces.
How to use it to win
Reduce the branches: prefer checks and captures that force the reply, and only switch to a quiet move when the forcing tries run dry. Calculate each line all the way to mate before you trust it.
Try an example puzzle
A real mate in 4 puzzle from the app. White to move — find the idea, then reveal the line.
7 
2 f 
h 1 Show solution
1. Rxf7 Rxf7 2. Qb8+ Rd8 3. Qxd8+ Rf8 4. Rxf8#
Drill the mate in 4 on thousands of real puzzles, matched to your rating.