Watching games contested between novice chess players can be quite nerve-racking. You never know how they will end, even if one side has a commanding material advantage. In some cases, a sneaky stalemate can pop out of nowhere. In other situations, the winning player gets tired of chasing the opponent's king around and settles for a peaceful outcome. Therefore, for people who are new to chess, learning how to give basic checkmates is one of the things that give the most bang for the buck.

In the good old books for beginners, there was always a chapter on how to checkmate the opponent’s lone king, from very basic ones such as “king + queen vs. king” and “king+rook vs. king” to more sophisticated cases such as “king+two bishops vs. king” and “king+bishop+knight vs. king”. 

Nowadays, there is no need to flip the pages, set up the board, and figure out whether you are on the right track or not by yourself. The Magnus Chess Academy app offers theoretical lessons with clear-cut explanations of the key techniques and practical exercises that could be used as drills to learn to give checkmate on auto-pilot. 

Anyway, once you are no longer a beginner, how important is it to know how to checkmate the opponent as efficiently as possible?

Of course, you might sniff at this question and say that everyone knows how to win quickly when having a commanding advantage, such as a king and a rook vs. a lonely king. However, I recall a test imposed by IM Vladislav Akselrod on three of my friends, rated in the FIDE 2000-2200 range. They had to mate him with king and rook vs. king in blitz mode. The number of moves was recorded. They struggled and averaged over 20 moves, while in the starting position, something around 10 moves was required with perfect play. This episode shows that even relatively proficient chess players have relatively poor mating techniques. But is it even relevant? After all, no one will keep playing against a 2000+ in such a position. I would say that it still matters. For instance, in an online blitz game with no increments, one often has to mate with a queen or even two queens in like a second. This requires a sound knowledge of the method and a well-versed use of premoves. Sometimes the difference between making it on time and being late is the full point.

In the pre-increment era, I recall IM Andrei Chigvintsev shuffling the pieces and agreeing to a draw in a “king+two bishops vs. king” endgame because he was sure that he won’t be able to checkmate the opponent on time. This still looked rather amusing to me, though.

The “king+bishop+knight vs. king” checkmate is particularly tricky. The reigning (at that time) Women’s World Chess Champion, Anna Ushenina, failed to convert it against Olga Girya in 2013. The chess community, which is not particularly forgiving of others' mistakes, went wild. Despite all her fantastic achievements, to this day, some people know Ushenina only as "the girl who couldn't mate with a knight and bishop". Anyway, this situation is not unique. There were other similar cases featuring top players. For instance, Nils Grandelius couldn't convert it against Magnus Carlsen in Chess24 Banter Blitz Cup, 2020 or, even more recently, Hikaru Nakamura didn't win a bishop + knight endgame vs. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Chess.com Rapid Wk13, 2022. 

One can only imagine how devastated Ushenina was after letting such an advantage slip in a classical game!

I myself have to admit that while I seem to remember the basic ideas, such as trying to lure the opponent’s king into the corner of the bishop’s color, the W-maneuver, and other such details, I am still not sure that I will be able to deliver the mate under time pressure within 50 moves. However, in a classical game, I have been in such a situation only once, and I was actually on the losing side! My opponent, at that time a modest player rated somewhere about 1800, successfully checkmated me. Back then, I was quite surprised and impressed by this feat. In 2022, I was quite proud of myself for delivering such a mate in a blitz game. That being said, the opponent clearly didn't know what he was doing and defended not as well as he could have. 

Is it practical to try to master even more advanced endgames, such as two knights vs. a pawn? I would say it depends on how good your chess memory is. Frankly, I have learned the Troitsky line on a few occasions, but my brain seems to be reluctant to memorize it, automatically classifying it as "information you are not likely to ever use in your life". If you have what it takes to study it once and for all, then go ahead and do it! However, as far as I know, there are very few chess players out there whose brains seem to be hardwired for such daunting tasks. For others, the spaced repetition method comes to the rescue. If you don't practice and rehearse the stuff you have learned regularly, you are likely to forget it! 

Sergey Karjakin demonstrates a game where he actually had to apply the knowledge of the "two knights vs. a pawn" theory.

To crown it all up, should a serious chess player master all the standard checkmating techniques? There are different opinions on this issue. The endgame experts emphasize the importance of this type of study. Most practical players believe that only the basics (extra rook, extra queen) are to be learned until perfection, while spending a lot of time on practicing, let’s say, “king + two knights vs. king and pawn" might turn out to be inefficient in terms of time investment because you are likely to pretty much never encounter this endgame in your entire career. In fact, I know quite a few masters who don’t remember how to checkmate with “king+bishop+knight vs. king”, not to mention more sophisticated tabiyas. 

Do your hands start trembling when you are expected to checkmate the opponent's king in the endgame? 

Of all the brand-new mini-games featured in the Magnus Chess Academy, Challenge the World is probably the least ground-breaking. Nevertheless, it is crucial for anyone's chess improvement, as chess mastery demands the perfect combination of theory and practice.

The Challenge the World mini-game offers you an opportunity to play with fellow chess fans from all over the world. It is an exciting way of putting your newly acquired skills to the test and getting a feel of how rapidly you improve your game. This highly sought-after feature has been requested for a long time and is one of the few ways Magnus Chess Academy is more social than the previous Play Magnus apps. 

As of now, Challenge the World supports the following time controls:

Blitz: 3 minutes per game and 2 seconds per move

Even if you don't have much free time, you can feel the adrenaline rush through your veins by playing chess against human opponents in Magnus Chess Academy. Show them what you are made of! 

Reviews of other Magnus Chess Academy mini-games:

Now you can challenge fellow chess players in the Magnus Chess Academy app! 

Tactics Frenzy is one of the seven magic mini-games featured in the brand-new Magnus Chess Academy app. Tactics Frenzy may be known to you as a standalone app that still exists to this day. However, its graphics, sounds, and gameplay received an overhaul as part of becoming included in Magnus Chess Academy.

Tactics Frenzy helps improve your combinational vision and boost your calculation skills by taking on a series of chess puzzles in timed mode.

As of now, there are seven unique categories in the Tactics Frenzy mini-game:

The "mate in one", "mate in two", and "mate in three" modes offer you a chance to solve the good old "mate in X" puzzles that you could stumble upon in newspapers. 

"Easy", "medium", and "hard" levels involve finding tactical sequences based on all sorts of tactical motifs, such as pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks, X-rays, and many more. 

"Joker" is a mode for people who enjoy the element of luck that is normally not involved in chess much. In this category, you may be treated to random puzzles of any difficulty, from easy to hard. 

Speaking of difficulty, the "mate in one" and "easy" modes are accessible and enjoyable for people who are relatively new to chess. "Mate in two", "mate in three", and "medium" are more challenging and aimed at club and tournament players. "Joker" and "hard" modes are best suited for titled players and puzzle-solving virtuosos. Even top Grandmasters will be struggling with some of the tasks.  

There are two main ways you can improve your high scores in Tactics Frenzy. First of all, try to solve as many puzzles as you can within the allocated timeframe. Secondly, be on fire and aim for a long streak of correctly solved puzzles. 

Good luck and have fun playing Tactics Frenzy!

Reviews of other Magnus Chess Academy mini-games:

Tactical proficiency is what makes or breaks a chess game. Become a tactical beast by doing Tactics Frenzy runs! 

Ace In The Sleeve is one of the seven mini-games featured in our brand-new Magnus Chess Academy app. It was first brought to public attention in November 2022 during the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals. 

The mini-game is unique and makes you think outside the box. You get served a random-looking chess position and a few pieces of both colors. Your goal is to place the pieces so that the opponent's king gets checkmated. The more puzzles you solve within the allocated timeframe, the better. 

The difficulty grows gradually as the number of pieces increases. With one piece to place, the puzzles should be solvable by beginners. However, with three pieces at your disposal, even the reigning World Chess Champion starts having a tough time on some occasions:

Ace In The Sleeve is immersive, captivating, and challenging. After a couple of playing sessions, you feel like your brain has had a rewarding workout!

Also, it is beneficial for your chess since being successful at the game requires having a solid grasp of how to make your pieces cooperate optimally and set up checkmate on the board using the resources available. 

Interested in crunching some numbers? Here are some of the results of the Grandmasters who were lucky enough to try out Ace In The Sleeve during the tour before anyone else:

Try out the game and let us know how well you perform! 

The "Ace In The Sleeve" mini-game is taking the chess world by storm! Have you tried it out yet?

Pattern recognition plays a crucial role in chess. Familiarizing yourself with common mating patterns is of paramount importance when it comes to wrapping up the game. Myriads of wins have been blown, especially in time trouble, due to missing a cunning finish. Make sure it doesn't happen to you!

Key Move: Mates is one of the seven mini-games featured in our brand-new Magnus Chess Academy app. 

The game presents you with a set of chess puzzles where you have to mate the opponent. 

Your first goal is to identify the correct mating motif, picking it from a list of multiple-choice options. On your journey, you will encounter such spectacular titles as Arabian Mate, Boden's Mate, Greco's Mate, Kiss Of Death, Opera Mate, Smothered Mate, and many more. 

After choosing the right motif, you solve the puzzle, making the moves on the board. 

If you get something wrong, you can review the solution or go through an interactive lesson explaining the basics of the motifs in question. 

The puzzles are chosen randomly from a large pool of carefully selected exercises, making it enjoyable to replay the levels and set new personal high scores. 

Key Move: Mates showcases 47 levels of varying complexity (mate in one, two, or three moves). More groups will arrive in the upcoming updates. 

Practice playing Key Move: Mates to beat your friends at chess and educate them on the origins of the mating patterns you used to crush them! 

Reviews of other Magnus Chess Academy mini-games:

Play our brand new mini-game inside the Magnus Chess Academy app to learn how to deliver mate efficiently! 

Chess Sprint is the first of seven mini-games currently available in the brand-new Magnus Chess Academy app.

It is an arcade platformer where you navigate one of the chess pieces (rook, bishop, knight, queen, pawn, or king) through a fantasy chess land. 

The objective of the game is to find the way to the portal while collecting as many orbs as you can and discovering the well-hidden treasure chest. Enemy pieces will make life tricky for you. Don't let your guard down! Dodge the enemy attacks and capture as many foes as you can to earn extra gem rewards. 

This mini-game is highly recommended for people who are new to chess and want to master the art of maneuvering pieces around the chessboard. Some levels remind of a sophisticated maze, so finding the portal will not be a walk in the park. 

For more advanced chess players, the platformer could be entertaining in terms of blasting through the levels as quickly as you can and sequencing a series of moves, earning additional rewards for hitting breathtaking combos. 

Currently, Chess Sprint features 13 levels, catering to players of different skill. The journey of the chess pieces is expected to continue in the future, as more game levels will be added to the game. 

Please try Chess Sprint out and see if you have what it takes to conquer the fantasy chess kingdom! 

As part of the celebration, you are eligible for an exclusive 32% discount on all our apps!

Grab the Play Magnus plus membership while supplies last. 

Do you enjoy chess and arcade games? Chess Sprint might be the cross-over you are looking for!

Since 2014, the Play Magnus Group has been producing mobile apps for chess fans of all skill levels worldwide. 

Over the last 1.5 years, one of our main projects was developing a new flagship app that would combine the best features of all our existing products and take a mighty step forward. As a result, we are proud to present to you Magnus Chess Academy — the one chess app to rule them all! 

Please look at the list of the key contributors to know who to praise for your wonderful experience...or blame if something goes wrong! 

Peter Zhdanov, Content & Translator (Russian)

Ricardo Franco da Silva, Translator (Portuguese) 

Sverre Johnsen, Content and Translator (Norwegian)

Are you hyped about Play Magnus Group's new flagship app? Time to find out who is responsible for its creation! 

Meet The Team Behind Magnus Chess Academy

Christmas comes early this year, as you are probably just a few days shy of getting your hands on the Magnus Chess Academy app. 

MCA is the brand-new flagship product of the Play Magnus Group. It combines everything you loved in our previous apps, takes them to the next level, and introduces multiple exciting features you haven't experienced elsewhere.

Want to learn more about Magnus Chess Academy? Please check out this short overview and stay tuned for upcoming blog posts showcasing the mini-games featured in the app. 

Hungry for a sneak preview of the new features? Here are some of the core ones:

New exciting mini-games: Chess Sprint, Ace in the Sleeve, Challenge the World. 

800+ interactive chess lessons covering all the key aspects of the game. Difficulty ranges from beginner to master. 

Lessons are organized in thematic blocks, ensuring a comfortable learning experience. 

Ability to earn rewards for in-game activity and use it for unlocking lessons and game levels. 

Moreover, let us treat you to some spoilers on what you can tentatively expect in the December MCA update:

Daily quests and generous rewards for completing them.

XP for in-game activities and user progression spanning 100 levels. 

At least two new lessons will be released every week. 

Offline mode, allowing you to use the app without connecting to the Internet. 

Enhanced player vs. player experience in Challenge the World. 

Video group classes, making the process of studying chess more social.

Wondering when Santa Carlsen is coming to your town? You will be able to download the Magnus Chess Academy on November 18th, both on iOS and Android.

We do hope you will have a great chess weekend playing the app🥳🎉

Sign up now to be the first to attend the Magnus Chess Academy when it opens its doors to chess fans worldwide!

Are you as hyped about the Magnus Chess Academy app as we are? Mark the date when it arrives in your country! 

Magnus Chess Academy Is Knocking On Your Door

Magnus Chess Academy (MCA) is a one-stop chess app created under the guidance of the 5-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. It combines the best features of the Magnus Trainer, Play Magnus, and Tactics Frenzy apps and introduces many exciting new features. 

What Can I Find Inside Magnus Chess Academy?

Like Hogwarts or any other magic academy, we will treat you to the optimal mix of theory and practice. 

In terms of theory, Magnus Chess Academy has four extensive courses featuring over 900 theory lessons overall. The number is growing day by day, so you should never run out of study materials. The lessons are presented in a friendly and accessible way as if Magnus Carlsen was sitting next to you and showing you interesting games and positions. Be prepared for his dry humor jokes and tricky challenges, as Magnus will often stop and ask you to solve a chess puzzle or devise a plan. 

Our games tab should probably get you hyped if you consider coursebooks boring! Chess Sprint, Challenge the World, Ace in the Sleeve, Hall of Fame, Key Move: Mates, Key Move: Motifs, Tactics Frenzy and other games will be waiting for you to show off your chess skills and quick reflexes. Please don't worry if the titles don't ring a bell. We will update you on the rules of each game in an upcoming post.

Is Magnus Chess Academy the Right Fit for Me?

Magnus Chess Academy offers world-class chess training for students of any level of expertise, ranging from novice to Grandmaster. 

There are four comprehensive courses in the Magnus Chess Academy. 

"New to Chess"  is the go-to place for people eager to learn the rules of chess and play their first game. 

"Easy" is tailored for amateurs who mainly play casually and want to impress their friends and relatives. 

"Medium" is the right fit for club players who are serious about chess improvement. 

"Hard" is reserved for dedicated tournament competitors who wish to make the most of their chess potential. 

Regardless of how strong you currently are at chess, Magnus Chess Academy will help you take your game to the next level and have fun along the way.

Our courses have been designed by leading chess & education experts to help you master chess as efficiently as possible. However, if you prefer to explore things independently and don't like being guided, you are free to cherry-pick the lessons and games you enjoy the most. 

Tell Me More About Gamification and the Social Features of Magnus Chess Academy

To make the training process more engaging and competitive, we granted you the option to earn various in-game rewards and achievements by studying lessons and playing the games. The rewards may be used for bragging rights or unlocking new content. 

Also, whereas our previous apps were mainly devised for the single-player experience, Magnus Chess Academy will allow you to challenge other users, showcase your achievements, compete for the top spots on the leaderboards and make new chess friends!  

Anything Special for Me as a User of Magnus Trainer, Play Magnus, and Tactics Frenzy? 

As a relatively small team of developers passionate about spreading their love for chess, we greatly appreciate your support. Should you decide to transition from our current apps to MCA, we will offer you an exclusive discount and help make the transfer as smooth as possible. More information will be available later. 

Sign up now to be the first person to enter Magnus Chess Academy! 

Be the first one to check out the upcoming Play Magnus flagship app! 

How Good is Your Mating Technique?

It's You Against the Chess World!

Tactics Frenzy Is The New Chess Pandemic

Do You Have An Ace Up Your Sleeve?

How Many Mating Patterns Do You Know?

Are You A Skilled Chess Sprinter?

Meet The Team Behind Magnus Chess Academy

Magnus Chess Academy Is Knocking On Your Door

What is Magnus Chess Academy?