Red to play, mate in 2
Mate in 2, proven against every defence.
Red to move. There is exactly one winning first move here, and it mates in 2 against anything Black tries. Black's remaining force: nothing but the General.
The position
Red attacks with a chariot, 2 cannons, a soldier and a horse, and Black's General stands on e8. Black's defenders: nothing but the General.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1771
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 c10–c9. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 2 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 c10–c9Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black將 e8–f8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 c9–e9Checkmate.
Every one of Black's 2 answers was played out to the end. The line below follows the most stubborn of them, the one that lasts longest and costs Red the most.
Why it is mate
The chariot arrives on a line the defence cannot close. Chariots are the strongest pieces on the board and most finished attacks end with one, which is why a defender will trade almost anything to swap them off first.
Read about this patternHow this puzzle was checked
Nothing here is an engine opinion. The position was solved by trying every legal defence to the full mate distance, so the claim that Red mates in 2 is a proof rather than an evaluation, and the first move shown is the only one that works. The defence in the line above is Black’s most stubborn try, not a convenient one.
Next puzzles
- Red moves and mates in 1x0385 · rating 1342
- Red to play, mate in 1x0383 · rating 1251
- Find the mate in 1x0386 · rating 1347
- Red to play, mate in 2x0382 · rating 1770
- Red to play, mate in 2x0387 · rating 1739
- Find the mate in 1x0381 · rating 1201
New to mating patterns? The glossary names the ones that come up again and again, the piece guides explain what each piece can do, and the rules page covers everything from the start.