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 elephant and a advisor.
The position
Red attacks with 3 cannons and a soldier, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: a elephant and a advisor.
- Mate in 2
- Soldier finish
- Rating 1751
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 帥 f2–e2. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 4 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red帥 f2–e2Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 c10–a8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red兵 c7–d7Checkmate.
Black has 4 legal moves after the first blow and each was refuted to mate. The main line shown is the toughest defence rather than a convenient one.
Why it is mate
A soldier gives the mate, which only happens once it has crossed the river and can step sideways. It is the cheapest piece on the board finishing a game, and it is a reminder that a crossed soldier is an attacker rather than a wall.
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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