Red moves and mates in 2
Mate in 2, proven against every defence.
Red is to move and forces mate in 2. Black is not helpless: there is a advisor still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with 2 horses, and Black's General stands on f10. Black's defenders: a advisor.
- Mate in 2
- Horse finish
- Rating 1637
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
傌 i9–g8 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: and leaves Black 1 legal reply, none of which help.
The line
- Red傌 i9–g8Check. Black must answer.
- Black將 f10–e10Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red傌 a10–c9Checkmate.
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
A horse delivering mate beside the palace is the shape players call the trough horse, 卧槽马: it checks and covers escape points at the same time, and because a horse cannot be blocked by a piece in its path once it has landed, only capture or flight would help.
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
- Find the mate in 1x2958 · rating 1130
- Red to play, mate in 1x2956 · rating 1142
- Red moves and mates in 2x2959 · rating 1716
- Red to play, mate in 1x2955 · rating 1309
- Find the mate in 1x2960 · rating 1305
- Red to play, mate in 2x2954 · rating 1698
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.