Puzzle x0933 · rating 1182

Red moves and mates in 1

Mate in 1, proven against every defence.

Red is to move and forces mate in 1. Black is not helpless: there are 2 horses still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.

The position

Red attacks with a soldier and 2 cannons, and Black's General stands on f9. Black's defenders: 2 horses.

Mate in 1
Cannon finish
Rating 1182

Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.

Show the solution

炮 d4–f4 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: it removes 2 escape points from the General.

The line

Red炮 d4–f4Checkmate.

There is nothing to try. The General cannot move, the checking piece cannot be taken, and nothing can be interposed.

Why it is mate

Two cannons on one line, the front one screening the one behind it. That is 重炮, stacked cannons, and it cannot be blocked: any piece that steps in simply becomes another screen.

Read about this pattern

How 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 1 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.

Solve puzzles on a real board More mates in 1 Enter the board

Next puzzles

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.