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.
The position
Red attacks with a horse, a soldier and 2 cannons, and Black's General stands on f9. Black's defenders: a advisor.
- Mate in 2
- General finish
- Rating 1709
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 傌 e10–d8. Look at what it does: and leaves Black 1 legal reply, none of which help.
The line
- Red傌 e10–d8Check. Black must answer.
- Black將 f9×f10The toughest try, taking a piece with it.
- Red帥 e1–f1Checkmate.
Black has 1 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 Generals decide it. With the file between them clear, the enemy General cannot stay where it is and cannot legally move to where it would still face its opposite number. That is the flying general rule doing the work.
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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