Red to play, mate in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
Red to move. There is exactly one winning first move here, and it mates in 1 against anything Black tries. Black's remaining force: a elephant and a chariot.
The position
Red attacks with a chariot, a cannon and a horse, and Black's General stands on f10. Black's defenders: a elephant and a chariot.
- Mate in 1
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1247
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 e8–f8. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General.
The line
- Red俥 e8–f8Checkmate.
Mate is immediate: no flight square, no capture and no block.
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 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 1x3036 · rating 1263
- Red moves and mates in 2x3034 · rating 1736
- Red to play, mate in 2x3037 · rating 1587
- Red moves and mates in 1x3033 · rating 1191
- Find the mate in 1x3038 · rating 1311
- Red moves and mates in 2x3032 · rating 1781
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.