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 2 advisors and a cannon 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 a soldier, and Black's General stands on f9. Black's defenders: 2 advisors and a cannon.
- Mate in 1
- Horse finish
- Rating 1324
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
傌 c8–d10 is the only move that wins.
The line
- Red傌 c8–d10Checkmate.
Mate is immediate: no flight square, no capture and no block.
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 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
- Find the mate in 1x3611 · rating 1134
- Red moves and mates in 2x3609 · rating 1782
- Red moves and mates in 2x3612 · rating 1605
- Find the mate in 1x3608 · rating 1214
- Red to play, mate in 1x3613 · rating 1215
- Red moves and mates in 2x3607 · rating 1578
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.