No. 1: Two Cannons, Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants

"No. 1: Two Cannons, Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 6 moves; the key first move is C1=5. Below you will find the full solution, what each move achieves, where it could go wrong, and the alternative defences.

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Pieces on the board

Red has a General, a Advisor, a Elephant, 2 Cannons, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red C1=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black E5+3
1. Black E5+3
2. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K5=4
2. Black K5=4
3. Red C5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K4+1
3. Black K4+1
4. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black E3-5
4. Black E3-5
5. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
5. Black K4=5 (captures the Soldier)
5. Black K4=5
6. Red C6+7 (captures the Horse)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Horse.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Red C6+7

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 2 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 2: H4+2 3. P4+1 E3-5 4. K5=4 K5=4 5. P4=5 H2+4 6. C5=6 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: E3-1 3. P4=5 A5+6 4. K5=6+ H4+5 5. A6-5 H5+4 6. P5=4+ K5=4 7. C5=6 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 1: Two Cannons, Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants"?

Red moves first, as in every puzzle of Practical Endgames.

How many moves does the solution take?

6 moves. The main line is shown above; alternative defences are covered in the variations section.

What is the key move?

The first move C1=5 starts the combination. Everything that follows depends on it.

Can I play this position myself?

Yes. Open it on ChessZing, where the board checks your moves and shows the solution if you get stuck.

← Previous puzzle: No. 5: Two Horses and Soldier Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Elephant Next puzzle: No. 2: Two Cannons, Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants →