Red moves and mates in 1
Mate in 1, proven against every defence.
Red is to move and forces mate in 1. Black is not helpless: there are a cannon and 2 soldiers 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 a chariot, and Black's General stands on d9. Black's defenders: a cannon and 2 soldiers.
- Mate in 1
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1193
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
俥 a4–d4 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: it removes 2 escape points from the General.
The line
- Red俥 a4–d4Checkmate.
Mate is immediate: no flight square, no capture and no block.
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 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 2x2182 · rating 1570
- Red to play, mate in 1x2180 · rating 1128
- Red to play, mate in 1x2183 · rating 1224
- Find the mate in 2x2179 · rating 1764
- Red to play, mate in 2x2184 · rating 1651
- Find the mate in 1x2178 · rating 1148
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.