No. 8: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant (4)

"No. 8: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant (4)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 11 moves; the key first move is H4+6. 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, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, a Advisor, a Elephant, a Horse, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red H4+6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C2-1
1. Black C2-1
2. Red H6-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 22 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black C2=4 (check, the General has no escape square)
2. Black C2=4
3. Red A5+6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
The Advisor stands where it can be captured.
3. Black H8-7
3. Black H8-7
4. Red H7+8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black A4-5 (check)
4. Black A4-5
5. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K5=4
5. Black K5=4
6. Red C4=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 21 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black H7+5
6. Black H7+5
7. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black C4+4
7. Black C4+4
8. Red H8+6 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black H5-3
8. Black H5-3
9. Red C3+9 (captures the Elephant, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black C4=6
9. Black C4=6
10. Red C3=4 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black C6=5
10. Black C6=5
11. Red H6+5 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
11. Red H6+5

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 1 variation. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 4: K5=4 5. H8+6 K4=5 6. E3-5 E7+9 7. C4=5+ K5=4 8. P4=5 C4=3 9. H6-4 C3+2 10. C5=6 C3=4+ 11. A6-5 H7+6 12. C6+6 H6-4 13. H4-5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 11 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 8: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant (4)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H4+6 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. 7: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Cannons and Two Advisors (4)Next puzzle: No. 1: Two Horses and Soldier Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants →