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 elephant and a soldier.
The position
Red attacks with 2 chariots and a cannon, and Black's General stands on f9. Black's defenders: a elephant and a soldier.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1727
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 a6–e6. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 6 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 a6–e6Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black將 f9–f8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 a7–f7Checkmate.
Every one of Black's 6 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
- Find the mate in 1x1423 · rating 1159
- Find the mate in 1x1421 · rating 1215
- Red to play, mate in 2x1424 · rating 1663
- Red to play, mate in 1x1420 · rating 1241
- Find the mate in 1x1425 · rating 1202
- Red moves and mates in 2x1419 · rating 1752
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.