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.
The position
Red attacks with 2 cannons, a soldier and 2 chariots, and Black's General stands on e8. Black's defenders: a elephant.
- Mate in 2
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1689
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 h6–h9. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 5 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 h6–h9Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 g8×e6The toughest try, taking a piece with it.
- Red炮 b6–b8Checkmate.
Black has 5 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 mating piece arrives on a square the defence cannot cover.
How 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.
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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.