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: 2 elephants.
The position
Red attacks with 2 chariots and 2 horses, and Black's General stands on f9. Black's defenders: 2 elephants.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1732
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 a8–e8. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 5 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 a8–e8Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 c9–e7Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 d6–f6Checkmate.
Black has 5 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
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 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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