Position and objective
Red material: Chariot + Horse + Cannon. Black defenders: Advisor + Elephant.
Mate the black general within the move limit. Red moves first and the AI answers for Black, with every move validated as it is played.
The black general starts on d9. Trace Red's b2-d2 move on the diagram before checking Black's reply.
How the mate works
Verified line: Red b2-d2 (車八平六), Black d9-e9 (將4平5), after the intervening moves Red i5-i8 (炮一进三) mates. This is one legal continuation of the validated solution.
The shortest mate takes three moves. The complete move list is on this page — try to find it yourself first.
The first move is the key to the forced mate. Black may have other legal replies; the line below shows one verified continuation.
Key move and common mistakes
The chariot shifts from b2 to d2, driving the general from d9 to e9. The horse jumps from f6 to g8 with check, and the general advances to e8 in the recorded reply. The cannon then advances to i8 and uses the red horse on g8 as its single screen to mate along the eighth rank.
The final cannon attack is across a rank, not along a file. Count exactly one intervening piece between i8 and e8. The horse’s earlier f6-g8 move also requires an empty leg square on f7.
Full move list
Moves alternate Red and Black, exactly as published in the solution.
- 1. b2-d2 d9-e9 （車八平六 將4平5）
- 2. f6-g8 e9-e8 （馬四进三 將5进1）
- 3. i5-i8 （炮一进三）
Difficulty and help
Use Hint when you are stuck, or Undo to take a move back.
A wrong move does not end the game — restart the same position and try again.