Red moves and mates in 2
Mate in 2, proven against every defence.
Red is to move and forces mate in 2. Black is not helpless: there are nothing but the General still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with 4 cannons, and Black's General stands on f9. Black's defenders: nothing but the General.
- Mate in 2
- General finish
- Rating 1784
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
炮 b5–b9 is the only move that wins. 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炮 b5–b9Check. Black must answer.
- Black將 f9–f8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red帥 d2–e2Checkmate.
Black has 2 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 Generals decide it. With the file between them clear, the enemy General cannot stay where it is and cannot legally move to where it would still face its opposite number. That is the flying general rule doing the work.
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 1x1078 · rating 1254
- Red moves and mates in 1x1076 · rating 1130
- Red to play, mate in 2x1079 · rating 1753
- Red moves and mates in 1x1075 · rating 1208
- Find the mate in 1x1080 · rating 1251
- Red to play, mate in 2x1074 · rating 1659
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.