Red to play, mate in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
Red to move. There is exactly one winning first move here, and it mates in 1 against anything Black tries. Black's remaining force: a cannon.
The position
Red attacks with a horse and a chariot, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: a cannon.
- Mate in 1
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1197
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 c5–d5. Look at what it does: it removes 2 escape points from the General.
The line
- Red俥 c5–d5Checkmate.
There is nothing to try. The General cannot move, the checking piece cannot be taken, and nothing can be interposed.
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 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.
Next puzzles
- Find the mate in 2x1539 · rating 1712
- Red to play, mate in 2x1537 · rating 1709
- Red moves and mates in 1x1540 · rating 1212
- Red to play, mate in 1x1536 · rating 1104
- Red moves and mates in 1x1541 · rating 1135
- Find the mate in 1x1535 · rating 1223
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.