15 JUN 2025

Mate in 2

by Charles William Sheppard

La Stratégie, 1920

A key feature of the position is the half-pin on the d-file. Two black pawns stand between wRd7 and bKd2; if either steps off the line, the other will become fully pinned. How can White turn this to their advantage? By calmly placing the other rook on the most fortified square it can find — 1.Rc3!, with the quiet threat of 2.Rd3#.

 

1...Be2 or 1...Bc2+ are now met by 2.R(x)c2#, while 1...Kxc3 runs into 2.Qe1#. However, the true thematic heart of the problem lies in the half-pin variations ending in pin-mates: 1...dxc3 2.Nc4# and 1...dxe4 2.Qe3#.

 

As tidy as it gets!