Red moves and mates in 2
Mate in 2, proven against every defence.
Red is to move and forces mate in 2. Black is not helpless: there are a elephant and a cannon still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with 2 soldiers, 2 cannons and a horse, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: a elephant and a cannon.
- Mate in 2
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1806
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
炮 f10–f9 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: and leaves Black 17 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red炮 f10–f9Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 d8–f6Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red炮 g8–g9Checkmate.
Black has 17 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
Two cannons on one line, the front one screening the one behind it. That is 重炮, stacked cannons, and it cannot be blocked: any piece that steps in simply becomes another screen.
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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