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 soldier, a advisor, a chariot and a elephant.
The position
Red attacks with 2 cannons and a chariot, and Black's General stands on f10. Black's defenders: a soldier, a advisor, a chariot and a elephant.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1579
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 a6–f6. 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俥 a6–f6Check. Black must answer.
- Black車 g8–f8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 f6×f8Checkmate.
Every one of Black's 1 answers was played out to the end. The line below follows the most stubborn of them, the one that lasts longest and costs Red the most.
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 moves and mates in 1x1723 · rating 1149
- Red moves and mates in 1x1721 · rating 1235
- Find the mate in 2x1724 · rating 1582
- Find the mate in 1x1720 · rating 1355
- Find the mate in 1x1725 · rating 1310
- Red moves and mates in 2x1719 · rating 1685
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.