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 advisor, a soldier and a chariot.
The position
Red attacks with a horse, 2 chariots and a cannon, and Black's General stands on f10. Black's defenders: a advisor, a soldier and a chariot.
- Mate in 2
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1808
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 c7–c10. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 1 legal reply, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 c7–c10Check. Black must answer.
- Black士 d9–e10Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red炮 i4–f4Checkmate.
Every one of Black's 1 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 cannon fires through a soldier and lands on the General. Take the screen away and the threat disappears, which is the first thing to look for whenever a cannon is aimed at your palace.
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.
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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.