Find the mate in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
A one move finish, Red to play. Black holds nothing but the General, which is enough to survive most attacks and not this one.
The position
Red attacks with 2 horses and a cannon, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: nothing but the General.
- Mate in 1
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1129
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
The move is 炮 a5–d5. Look at what it does: it removes 2 escape points from the General.
The line
- Red炮 a5–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
This is the cannon behind the horse, 马后炮: the horse takes the escape squares and stands as the screen the cannon fires through. A blocking piece only becomes a second screen, so there is nothing to interpose.
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
- Red to play, mate in 1x2151 · rating 1107
- Red moves and mates in 2x2149 · rating 1718
- Red to play, mate in 2x2152 · rating 1698
- Red moves and mates in 1x2148 · rating 1193
- Red moves and mates in 1x2153 · rating 1353
- Find the mate in 2x2147 · rating 1744
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.