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 elephant.
The position
Red attacks with a horse, a soldier and a cannon, and Black's General stands on e8. Black's defenders: a elephant.
- Mate in 2
- Soldier finish
- Rating 1781
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
It starts with 炮 g5–g9. 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炮 g5–g9Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black象 g10–i8Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red兵 c8–d8Checkmate.
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 soldier gives the mate, which only happens once it has crossed the river and can step sideways. It is the cheapest piece on the board finishing a game, and it is a reminder that a crossed soldier is an attacker rather than a wall.
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.
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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.