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 and a elephant.
The position
Red attacks with 2 soldiers, 2 horses and a chariot, and Black's General stands on e8. Black's defenders: a soldier, a advisor and a elephant.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1773
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 d9–d8. Look at what it does: and leaves Black 1 legal reply, none of which help.
The line
- Red俥 d9–d8Check. Black must answer.
- Black將 e8×e9The toughest try, taking a piece with it.
- Red俥 d8–h8Checkmate.
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 1x2228 · rating 1189
- Find the mate in 1x2226 · rating 1271
- Red moves and mates in 2x2229 · rating 1701
- Find the mate in 1x2225 · rating 1278
- Red to play, mate in 1x2230 · rating 1226
- Red to play, mate in 2x2224 · rating 1694
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.