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, a horse and 2 elephants.
The position
Red attacks with a cannon, a chariot, 2 horses and a soldier, and Black's General stands on d8. Black's defenders: a cannon, a horse and 2 elephants.
- Mate in 2
- Horse finish
- Rating 1786
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 傌 i6–g5. Look at what it does: and leaves Black 15 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red傌 i6–g5Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black砲 f10×f8The toughest try, taking a piece with it.
- Red傌 g5–e6Checkmate.
Every one of Black's 15 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
A horse delivering mate beside the palace is the shape players call the trough horse, 卧槽马: it checks and covers escape points at the same time, and because a horse cannot be blocked by a piece in its path once it has landed, only capture or flight would help.
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 1x2498 · rating 1359
- Find the mate in 1x2496 · rating 1186
- Red moves and mates in 2x2499 · rating 1655
- Red moves and mates in 1x2495 · rating 1252
- Red to play, mate in 1x2500 · rating 1358
- Find the mate in 2x2494 · rating 1800
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.