Red moves and mates in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
Red is to move and forces mate in 1. Black is not helpless: there is a horse still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with a horse and 2 chariots, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: a horse.
- Mate in 1
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1264
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
俥 c8×c10 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: it takes a defender off the board on the way.
The line
- Red俥 c8×c10Checkmate.
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 2x3224 · rating 1551
- Find the mate in 2x3222 · rating 1808
- Find the mate in 1x3225 · rating 1284
- Red moves and mates in 1x3221 · rating 1313
- Find the mate in 1x3226 · rating 1151
- Find the mate in 1x3220 · rating 1309
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.