Red moves and mates in 2
Mate in 2, proven against every defence.
Red is to move and forces mate in 2. Black is not helpless: there are nothing but the General still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with a soldier and 3 cannons, and Black's General stands on e10. Black's defenders: nothing but the General.
- Mate in 2
- Cannon finish
- Rating 1795
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
炮 g9–c9 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 1 legal reply, none of which help.
The line
- Red炮 g9–c9Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black將 e10–f10Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red炮 c9–e9Checkmate.
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 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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