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 advisor and a cannon.
The position
Red attacks with 2 soldiers, 2 cannons, a horse and a chariot, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: a advisor and a cannon.
- Mate in 2
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1633
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 e5×e9. Look at what it does: it takes a defender off the board on the way, and leaves Black 2 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 e5×e9Check. Black must answer.
- Black將 d9–d8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red炮 f10×f7Checkmate.
Black has 2 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 mating piece arrives on a square the defence cannot cover.
How 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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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.