Red to play, mate in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
Red to move. There is exactly one winning first move here, and it mates in 1 against anything Black tries. Black's remaining force: a horse, a elephant and a cannon.
The position
Red attacks with 2 cannons and 2 chariots, and Black's General stands on e9. Black's defenders: a horse, a elephant and a cannon.
- Mate in 1
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1147
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 炮 d6–e6. Look at what it does: it removes 3 escape points from the General.
The line
- Red炮 d6–e6Checkmate.
Mate is immediate: no flight square, no capture and no block.
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 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 2x0227 · rating 1590
- Red moves and mates in 1x0225 · rating 1133
- Red to play, mate in 1x0228 · rating 1147
- Find the mate in 2x0224 · rating 1702
- Red moves and mates in 2x0229 · rating 1684
- Find the mate in 1x0223 · rating 1224
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.