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 elephant still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with a soldier, a chariot and 2 cannons, and Black's General stands on e10. Black's defenders: a elephant.
- Mate in 1
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1316
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
炮 i9–i10 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General.
The line
- Red炮 i9–i10Checkmate.
Mate is immediate: no flight square, no capture and no block.
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 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 1x4006 · rating 1262
- Red moves and mates in 2x4004 · rating 1688
- Find the mate in 2x4007 · rating 1741
- Red moves and mates in 1x4003 · rating 1243
- Red moves and mates in 1x4008 · rating 1340
- Red to play, mate in 2x4002 · rating 1571
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.