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 and a cannon.
The position
Red attacks with a soldier, a chariot and a cannon, and Black's General stands on d8. Black's defenders: a soldier and a cannon.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1640
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 俥 e5–d5. 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 e5–d5Check. Black must answer.
- Black砲 f6–d6Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 d5×d6Checkmate.
Black has 1 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 moves and mates in 1x2953 · rating 1332
- Red moves and mates in 1x2951 · rating 1132
- Red to play, mate in 2x2954 · rating 1698
- Red to play, mate in 1x2950 · rating 1228
- Red to play, mate in 1x2955 · rating 1309
- Red moves and mates in 2x2949 · rating 1575
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.