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 soldiers and a elephant.
The position
Red attacks with a cannon and a chariot, and Black's General stands on f8. Black's defenders: 2 soldiers and a elephant.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1599
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 帥 d2–e2. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 4 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red帥 d2–e2Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 b10×d8The toughest try, taking a piece with it.
- Red俥 i7–f7Checkmate.
Black has 4 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
- Red to play, mate in 1x1108 · rating 1278
- Red to play, mate in 1x1106 · rating 1103
- Find the mate in 2x1109 · rating 1677
- Find the mate in 1x1105 · rating 1114
- Red moves and mates in 1x1110 · rating 1332
- Find the mate in 2x1104 · rating 1569
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.