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 are a advisor and a elephant still on the board, and every legal defence has been tried against this solution. All of them lose.
The position
Red attacks with a soldier, a cannon, a chariot and a horse, and Black's General stands on f8. Black's defenders: a advisor and a elephant.
- Mate in 2
- Chariot finish
- Rating 1575
Red moves first. Find the move that forces mate whatever Black replies, then open the solution below.
Show the solution
帥 d2–e2 is the only move that wins. Look at what it does: it removes 1 escape point from the General, and leaves Black 3 legal replies, none of which help.
The line
- Red帥 d2–e2Quiet, and there is no answer to the threat.
- Black士 f10–e9Black's most stubborn defence.
- Red俥 d5–f5Checkmate.
Black has 3 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 to play, mate in 1x4063 · rating 1344
- Find the mate in 1x4061 · rating 1268
- Red moves and mates in 2x4064 · rating 1618
- Red moves and mates in 1x4060 · rating 1226
- Red to play, mate in 1x4065 · rating 1193
- Red to play, mate in 2x4059 · rating 1678
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.