Mate in 2

Black is currently in stalemate, so the key must grant them a move. Now, imagine if White could lift the wRh2 off the board, unguarding the knight on c2 — then 1...Kxc2 would be Black’s only reply, answered by 2.Qh7#. And that whimsical notion? It’s exactly what the solution enacts — but by legal means.

It begins with 1.Rh8! — the rook soars to the end of the file, clearing the h-file’s runway for the queen in a textbook Bristol Clearance. From that moment on, the piece serves no further purpose. It might as well have vanished! Black is obliged to play 1...Kxc2, and 2.Qh7# follows.

Crucially, had the rook not crossed over h7, the queen would have been denied access to that all-important square — a signature nuance that recurs across many problem themes, not least the Bristol.