How Hard Is This Puzzle?

lichess.org/analysis/2nR4/Q3b3/8/1Pppk3/8/2P2K1B/8/8_w_-_-_0_1?color=white mate in two

If the object is to win, then incredibly easy. Rxc8 (as well as many other moves). If the object is something else (e.g., mate in a certain number of moves), then you have to tell us what it is.

Edit: He edited the post to say mate in two.

Rd6!!

Not very hard, I found the solution in 4 or 5 secs.

Yeah, I found it quickly too (by reading #3).

And it would of course be extremely difficult to find in a game...not to mention rather pointless (as #2 has indicated).

@MrPushwood said in #5:
> Yeah, I found it quickly too (by reading #3).
>
> ..not to mention rather pointless (as #2 has indicated).
It's beyond the point. A puzzle is a puzzle don't make excuses because you didn't find the solution

Thanks for the puzzle.

I think how easy or hard people find the puzzle depends on how familiar they are with the M2 puzzle genre. If you’ve done a lot of these kinds of problems then you wouldn’t waste time calculating any of the checks and would start with any weird move that could control the escape square or allow Qg7#.

If you like these problems you can try this one by Sam Lloyd. It took Magnus about 2 minutes.

lichess.org/analysis/8/1N2N3/2r5/3qp2R/QP2kp1K/5R2/6B1/6B1_w_-_-_0_1

youtu.be/D-x3Wzy6pVk

Yeah... not really hard for people who are familiar with puzzles that have some theme.
Here, black's king has one square to escape.
So the solution is usually : guard that square by giving the black's king different square to escape, usually by a sacrificing move.
The famous composer Frietz Giegold usually had this theme in his puzzle compositions.

@yuckychicken said in #7:
> Thanks for the puzzle.
>
> I think how easy or hard people find the puzzle depends on how familiar they are with the M2 puzzle genre. If you’ve done a lot of these kinds of problems then you wouldn’t waste time calculating any of the checks and would start with any weird move that could control the escape square or allow Qg7#.
>
> If you like these problems you can try this one by Sam Lloyd. It took Magnus about 2 minutes.
>
> lichess.org/analysis/8/1N2N3/2r5/3qp2R/QP2kp1K/5R2/6B1/6B1_w_-_-_0_1

Sam Lloyd is one of my favorite composers. He is legendary.

@MrPushwood said in #5:
> Yeah, I found it quickly too (by reading #3).
>
> And it would of course be extremely difficult to find in a game...not to mention rather pointless (as #2 has indicated).
Typical comment by the one and only NM MrPushwood. :)