Puzzle x2937 · rating 1636

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 horse, 2 advisors, a elephant and a soldier.

The position

Red attacks with 3 horses, 2 chariots and a cannon, and Black's General stands on f8. Black's defenders: a horse, 2 advisors, a elephant and a soldier.

Mate in 2
Chariot finish
Rating 1636

Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.

Show the solution

It starts with 傌 f6×g8. Look at what it does: it takes a defender off the board on the way, and leaves Black 9 legal replies, none of which help.

The line

Red傌 f6×g8Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
Black馬 i10–h8Black's most stubborn defence.
Red俥 c6–f6Checkmate.

Every one of Black's 9 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 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 pattern

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.

Solve puzzles on a real board More mates in 2 Enter the board

Next puzzles

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.