Find the mate in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
A one move finish, Red to play. Black holds nothing but the General, which is enough to survive most attacks and not this one.
The position
Red attacks with a horse and a cannon, and Black's General stands on f8. Black's defenders: nothing but the General.
- Mate in 1
- Horse finish
- Rating 1288
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
The move is 傌 b9–d10. Look at what it does: it removes 2 escape points from the General.
The line
- Red傌 b9–d10Checkmate.
There is nothing to try. The General cannot move, the checking piece cannot be taken, and nothing can be interposed.
Why it is mate
A horse delivering mate beside the palace is the shape players call the trough horse, 卧槽马: it checks and covers escape points at the same time, and because a horse cannot be blocked by a piece in its path once it has landed, only capture or flight would help.
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 moves and mates in 1x4306 · rating 1248
- Red moves and mates in 2x4304 · rating 1806
- Red to play, mate in 2x4307 · rating 1628
- Red to play, mate in 1x4303 · rating 1140
- Find the mate in 1x4308 · rating 1285
- Find the mate in 2x4302 · rating 1645
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.