macOS · Chess puzzle
Find the checkmate.
100 hand-checked chess puzzles on a beautiful 3D board. Every level hides a forced mate. Find it fast for three stars, and climb from Pawn to King.
24-hour free trial · then $9.99 once · no subscription
How it plays
Each puzzle sets up a real game position where checkmate is there for the taking. Your job is to see it.
Levels
Start with the classic patterns: the back-rank mate, the smothered mate, the Arabian mate. Then work through 100 levels that get harder as you go, up to Legendary puzzles where you have to see a mate in four or five. Endgame Hero levels have you play the win out against the computer.
No lucky guesses
In longer puzzles the computer plays the best defence after each of your moves, so you have to find a genuine forced mate. Every puzzle was checked by a chess engine. Solve quickly for three stars, plus coins and XP.
Hints
Stuck on a mate in three? A hint shows which piece to move and leaves the rest to you. Hints cost a few coins, and you earn coins by solving.
Endless Mode
Puzzle after puzzle against the timer. Every solve adds time, but one wrong move ends the run. See how far you get, then try to beat your best.
Daily Challenge
A fresh set of three puzzles each day, with bonus coins for keeping your streak going. It’s the five-minute version of the game, for a coffee break.
24-hour free trial · then $9.99 once · no subscription
All features
Pick it up for one puzzle and look up an hour later.
From mate in one to Legendary mates in four or five, plus Endgame Hero levels you play out against the computer.
Beat the clock. Each solve adds time, and one wrong move ends the run.
Three new puzzles every day, with a bonus for keeping your streak.
A short guided tutorial for new players, which you can skip or replay from Settings, and hints that show which piece to move.
Coins and XP raise your rank and unlock six hand-made boards and a set of avatars.
No account, no ads, no analytics. Your progress stays on your Mac.
Made for the Mac
A wide layout with the board beside the game panel, a Game menu with keyboard shortcuts, a Settings window and full screen. Click a piece, then its square. Drag to rotate the board, and scroll or pinch to zoom.
Checkmate Challenge has no account, no ads, no analytics and no tracking, and it collects no personal data. The puzzles, the board and the chess engine are all inside the game, and your progress is saved only on your Mac. The only connection it makes is to the App Store, for the free trial and the unlock.
Read the full privacy policyPricing
No plans to compare and nothing renewing in the background.
$0for 24 hours
The complete app, with nothing held back, so you know it does the job before you pay.
Full version
$9.99one-time unlock
Keep it for good after the trial. One payment, yours to keep, no subscription.
Sold through the Mac App Store, which handles payment and updates
Works on:macOS
FAQ
Yes. Checkmate Challenge is a free download, and the whole game is free for 24 hours. After that, a one-time $9.99 Lifetime Unlock opens it for good, and your progress is kept.
No. The Lifetime Unlock is a single $9.99 purchase through the Mac App Store. There’s nothing renewing and nothing to cancel.
No. It starts with mate in one and a short guided tutorial, and hints show you which piece to move when you’re stuck. The puzzles get harder gradually, up to Legendary mates in four or five.
Not to play. The puzzles, the 3D board and the chess engine are all inside the game. It only connects to the App Store to start the trial, buy the unlock and restore purchases.
Yes. On any Mac signed in to the same Apple Account, choose Restore Purchases from the app menu or the Settings window.
No. There’s no account, no ads, no analytics and no tracking. Your progress is saved only on your Mac, and purchases are handled by Apple. See the privacy policy.
3D chess puzzles against the clock.
24-hour free trial · then $9.99 once · no subscription