Answers.Body: <p>[<em>Corrected</em>: most of the alternative solutions I suggested fail to g4+]</p>
  
  <p>There must be some mistake in the diagram, because R(either)xR+
  is a non-quiet move that forces mate in 2.  Quiet moves don't work
  because of the defense Rc8+ or Rxh8.  Except that the FEN indicates
  that the wP is on g2, not b7 as it seems, and that makes Qa8! a quiet
  solution (Zugzwang: if RxR(either) then QxR is mate; other Rook moves
  are captured by a Rook for mate; and the pawn is still pinned).
  To make this unique the Queen can be put elsewhere on the diagonal,
  like d5: </p>
  
  <pre><code>[fen "7r/8/8/3q1k2/8/8/6PR/r5RK b - - 0 1"] 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I see that <strong>Dag Oskar Madsen</strong> already suggested this fix in a comment.</p>
  
  <p>Possibly of interest: while trying to Google this position I ran across
  <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/2k1913/white_to_mate_in_two_moves_by_theodore_adrien/" rel="noreferrer">this mate-in-2 problem</a>,
  credited to T.A.L.Herlin 1852, which might have been the inspiration
  for the present problem though its solution is not as nice or as quiet:</p>
  
  <pre><code>[fen "kr5R/rp6/8/8/4Q1K1/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"] 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Solution:</p>
  
  <blockquote class="spoiler">
    <p> 1 Qe8! (threat 2 QxR#) Rxe8/Ra4+ 2 Rxe8/Qxa4#!</p>
  </blockquote>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-27T02:06:55.750Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-03-27T03:14:58.420Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2016-03-27T03:14:58.420Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Noam D. Elkies
Answers.Body: <p>A quiet move: 1... Qa8, keeping the pawn pinned, and white will be mated next move.</p>
  
  <p>When teaching kids is important do show MATE IN ZERO FIRST, so MATE IN ONE and so on.</p>
  
  <p>Never give a child a problem she can not solve. Because success is stimulating and a failure is depressing and could be mortal.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-04-01T15:07:30.413Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-04-01T15:07:30.413Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Fred
Answers.Body: <p><code>Quiet move means "A move should occur without a capture or a mate".</code></p>
  
  <p>Sure there sacrificing a rook lead to mate in 2 moves, but it isnt a solution. You should look for positional play.</p>
  
  <p>If you are looking for a quiet mate without any captures (rook sacrifices), just position the Queen to </p>
  
  <pre><code>..Qe1 or ..Qh4 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>It is a great example of positional play. No captures or mate!</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-28T22:49:03.823Z
Answers.Text: We're supposed to find a 'quiet' move. It is not a traditional puzzle, but an exercise for students.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-28T22:54:00.147Z
Answers.Text: What is a quiet mate? Sorry for my ignorance.
Answers.UserDisplayName: pbu
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-29T04:24:15.430Z
Answers.Text: He's looking for a first move that isn't a check or capture.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-31T14:46:32.550Z
Answers.Text: 1 . . . Qe1/h4 does not force mate in 2 because with the pawn unpinned White can delay the mate with 2 g4+!
Answers.UserDisplayName: Noam D. Elkies
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-28T22:37:28.303Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-03-29T07:15:22.433Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2016-03-29T07:15:22.433Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: pbu
Answers.Body: <p>Black to move and mate in two, right? Is it as simple as</p>
  
  <pre><code>Rxh2+, Kxh2
  Qh4#
  </code></pre>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-28T22:47:59.663Z
Answers.Text: We're supposed to find a 'quiet' move. It is not a traditional puzzle, but an exercise for students.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-29T00:10:12.423Z
Answers.Text: OK. I guess I was supposed to gather that from the title of the question.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matt Cremeens
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-03-27T03:53:10.997Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-03-27T03:53:10.997Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matt Cremeens
Body: <p>I teach chess to children and a colleague of mine told me of this position to show to the kids. Black plays and gives mate in two. It seems an easy position but the children I teach had difficulties with it because they think that the only way to mate is capturing as much pieces of the opponent as possible in the process. </p>
  
  <pre><code>[fen "7r/8/8/5k2/4q3/8/6PR/r5RK b - - 0 1"]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p><strong>Black plays and gives mate in two. What should Black do?</strong></p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T15:59:31.253Z
Comments.Text: Which way is the pawn moving? In any case there are at least two solutions.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T17:45:57.900Z
Comments.Text: @DagOskarMadsen In any case there seems to be exactly two solutions, none of them fit the "quiet" criterium, however...
Comments.UserDisplayName: GloriaVictis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T17:53:02.097Z
Comments.Text: @GloriaVictis If the pawn is on `g2`, then there is a third solution `1...Qa8`.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T17:55:54.673Z
Comments.Text: I think it qualifies as quiet because it demonstrates the power of Zugzwang.  The most offensive move(s) here are to defend.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T17:58:39.000Z
Comments.Text: Duh! The Qa8 must be the solution OP is looking for. I seem to have been struck by chess blindness today. Also, the pawn is on g2, at least according to the FEN.
Comments.UserDisplayName: GloriaVictis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T17:59:12.720Z
Comments.Text: I missed Qa8, lol.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T18:01:31.920Z
Comments.Text: @TonyEnnis You're not the only one who did! I think you should post it as an answer, Dag Oskar Madsen.
Comments.UserDisplayName: GloriaVictis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T18:02:48.270Z
Comments.Text: So we have here a mate in 2 by force, a pin, and a Zugzwang, and a mate in 2 by exploiting same?!  Nice.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T18:26:03.133Z
Comments.Text: I think the problem can be "repaired" by placing the queen somewhere else in the initial position, for instance on `d5`.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-03-26T18:45:03.230Z
Comments.Text: The position reminds me of an answer I gave to an earlier question http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/5655/position-with-the-most-or-many-distinct-refutations/5701#5701
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Tags: <checkmate><teaching>
Title: A quiet mate in two
ThreadText: # A quiet mate in two
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2016-03-26)
  
  I teach chess to children and a colleague of mine told me of this position to show to the kids. Black plays and gives mate in two. It seems an easy position but the children I teach had difficulties with it because they think that the only way to mate is capturing as much pieces of the opponent as possible in the process.
  
  ```
  [fen "7r/8/8/5k2/4q3/8/6PR/r5RK b - - 0 1"]
  
  ```
  
  **Black plays and gives mate in two. What should Black do?**
  
  **Tags:** checkmate, teaching
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Which way is the pawn moving? In any case there are at least two solutions.  
  > **username_2**: @username_1 In any case there seems to be exactly two solutions, none of them fit the "quiet" criterium, however...  
  > **username_1**: @username_2 If the pawn is on `g2`, then there is a third solution `1...Qa8`.  
  > **username_3**: I think it qualifies as quiet because it demonstrates the power of Zugzwang.  The most offensive move(s) here are to defend.  
  > **username_2**: Duh! The Qa8 must be the solution OP is looking for. I seem to have been struck by chess blindness today. Also, the pawn is on g2, at least according to the FEN.  
  > **username_3**: I missed Qa8, lol.  
  > **username_2**: @username_3 You're not the only one who did! I think you should post it as an answer, username_1.  
  > **username_3**: So we have here a mate in 2 by force, a pin, and a Zugzwang, and a mate in 2 by exploiting same?!  Nice.  
  > **username_1**: I think the problem can be "repaired" by placing the queen somewhere else in the initial position, for instance on `d5`.  
  > **username_1**: The position reminds me of an answer I gave to an earlier question http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/5655/position-with-the-most-or-many-distinct-refutations/5701#5701  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2016-03-27. Score: 5
  
  [*Corrected*: most of the alternative solutions I suggested fail to g4+]
  
  There must be some mistake in the diagram, because R(either)xR+
  is a non-quiet move that forces mate in 2. Quiet moves don't work
  because of the defense Rc8+ or Rxh8. Except that the FEN indicates
  that the wP is on g2, not b7 as it seems, and that makes Qa8! a quiet
  solution (Zugzwang: if RxR(either) then QxR is mate; other Rook moves
  are captured by a Rook for mate; and the pawn is still pinned).
  To make this unique the Queen can be put elsewhere on the diagonal,
  like d5:
  
  ```
  [fen "7r/8/8/3q1k2/8/8/6PR/r5RK b - - 0 1"] 
  
  ```
  
  I see that **username_1** already suggested this fix in a comment.
  
  Possibly of interest: while trying to Google this position I ran across
  [this mate-in-2 problem](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/2k1913/white_to_mate_in_two_moves_by_theodore_adrien/),
  credited to T.A.L.Herlin 1852, which might have been the inspiration
  for the present problem though its solution is not as nice or as quiet:
  
  ```
  [fen "kr5R/rp6/8/8/4Q1K1/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"] 
  
  ```
  
  Solution:
  
  > 1 Qe8! (threat 2 QxR#) Rxe8/Ra4+ 2 Rxe8/Qxa4#!
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2016-04-01. Score: 1
  
  A quiet move: 1... Qa8, keeping the pawn pinned, and white will be mated next move.
  
  When teaching kids is important do show MATE IN ZERO FIRST, so MATE IN ONE and so on.
  
  Never give a child a problem she can not solve. Because success is stimulating and a failure is depressing and could be mortal.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2016-03-28. Score: 0
  
  `Quiet move means "A move should occur without a capture or a mate".`
  
  Sure there sacrificing a rook lead to mate in 2 moves, but it isnt a solution. You should look for positional play.
  
  If you are looking for a quiet mate without any captures (rook sacrifices), just position the Queen to
  
  ```
  ..Qe1 or ..Qh4 
  
  ```
  
  It is a great example of positional play. No captures or mate!
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: We're supposed to find a 'quiet' move. It is not a traditional puzzle, but an exercise for students.  
  > **username_6**: What is a quiet mate? Sorry for my ignorance.  
  > **username_3**: He's looking for a first move that isn't a check or capture.  
  > **username_4**: 1 . . . Qe1/h4 does not force mate in 2 because with the pawn unpinned White can delay the mate with 2 g4+!  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2016-03-27. Score: 0
  
  Black to move and mate in two, right? Is it as simple as
  
  ```
  Rxh2+, Kxh2
  Qh4#
  
  ```
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: We're supposed to find a 'quiet' move. It is not a traditional puzzle, but an exercise for students.  
  > **username_7**: OK. I guess I was supposed to gather that from the title of the question.  
  
  ---
  
  