---
title: "See every mate in one: chess lesson · Chess Goat"
description: "List every check, then ask if the king can run, block or capture. 8-minute lesson with puzzles at your level."
canonical: "https://trychessgoat.com/learn/lesson/mate-in-one/"
last_updated: 2026-10-09
---

Level 1 · Stop giving things away · 400–800 · 8 min

# See every mate in one

List every check, then ask if the king can run, block or capture.

## The rule to take into your games

**Every move, try each check: no run, block or capture means mate.**

Part of Goat Pass: 3 steps on the board, 3 guided examples, then puzzles at your level, and the ones you miss come back until they stick. The first 3 lessons are free.

[Open this lesson →](https://trychessgoat.com/learn/#/lesson/mate-in-one)

Not sure this is your leak? Your free [Goat Card](https://trychessgoat.com/u/) reads your chess.com games and puts the lessons that fix your biggest mistakes first. Next lesson: [The back-rank mate and the luft rule](https://trychessgoat.com/learn/lesson/back-rank/).