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: a cannon and a advisor.
The position
Red attacks with 2 cannons, 2 horses and a chariot, and Black's General stands on f10. Black's defenders: a cannon and a advisor.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1753
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 i6×i9. Look at what it does: it takes a defender off the board on the way, it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 3 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 i6×i9Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black士 e8×d9The toughest try, taking a piece with it.
- Red俥 i9×d9Checkmate.
Black has 3 legal moves after the first blow and each was refuted to mate. The main line shown is the toughest defence rather than a convenient one.
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 to play, mate in 1x0945 · rating 1312
- Red to play, mate in 1x0943 · rating 1219
- Find the mate in 1x0946 · rating 1239
- Find the mate in 2x0942 · rating 1613
- Red moves and mates in 2x0947 · rating 1736
- Red to play, mate in 1x0941 · rating 1140
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.