About Sac, Sac...Mate!
A chess puzzle site built for everyone who loves the game.
♛ Where the name comes from
The name Sac, Sac...Mate! comes directly from Bobby Fischer's own words. In Chapter 2 of his celebrated book My 60 Memorable Games (page 18, first published 1969), Fischer is annotating his 1958 game against Bent Larsen at the Portoroz Interzonal tournament when he describes a pattern he had mastered in casual play:
"I'd won dozens of skittles games in analogous positions and had it down to a science: pry open the h-file, sac, sac … mate!"
— Bobby Fischer, My 60 Memorable Games, 1969
That phrase — casual, precise, and completely confident — has since become a beloved expression in modern chess culture, shorthand for the kind of bold, dynamic, and sacrificial play that makes chess thrilling to watch and even more thrilling to execute yourself.
♟ What this site is
Sac, Sac...Mate! is a free chess puzzle site built around one simple idea: find the winning combination. No subscriptions required to play. No ads interrupting your thinking. Just you, the board, and the position.
Whether you have one minute or an entire afternoon, there is a mode for you. Timed sessions sharpen your pattern recognition under pressure. Unlimited play lets you study deeply, use hints, and really understand why a combination works.
Puzzles are sourced from the Lichess open database — millions of real positions from real games, rated and tagged by theme so that as your skills grow, the challenges grow with you.
♙ Who it's for
This site is meant to be a welcoming place for everyone who loves chess puzzles — beginners working through their first checkmate patterns, club players drilling tactics before a tournament, and experienced players chasing that clean, unassisted solve.
Chess can sometimes feel like an exclusive world. It is not meant to be, and this site is not meant to be either. If you enjoy the moment when a position suddenly clicks and you see the move — this is for you.
We are actively building this site and genuinely welcome your feedback. If a puzzle is wrong, if something does not work the way you expect, or if you have an idea for a feature — please reach out. Every message is read.