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, 2 soldiers and a horse.
The position
Red attacks with 2 chariots, and Black's General stands on d8. Black's defenders: 2 elephants, 2 soldiers and a horse.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1561
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 e6×e5. Look at what it does: it takes a defender off the board on the way, and leaves Black 3 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 e6×e5Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 e10–g8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 e5–e8Checkmate.
Black has 3 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.
Next puzzles
- Find the mate in 1x0905 · rating 1156
- Find the mate in 1x0903 · rating 1322
- Red moves and mates in 1x0906 · rating 1169
- Red to play, mate in 2x0902 · rating 1722
- Find the mate in 2x0907 · rating 1764
- Find the mate in 1x0901 · rating 1128
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.