No. 3: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Two Advisors

"No. 3: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Two Advisors" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 25 moves; the key first move is C3-1. 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, 2 Elephants, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Horses.

Solution move by move

1. Red C3-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black H7-5 (check)
1. Black H7-5
2. Red K4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black +H-6
2. Black +H-6
3. Red C3=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 21 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black H5+3
3. Black H5+3
4. Red K4-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black H3+2
4. Black H3+2
5. Red H7+8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black H6+7 (check)
5. Black H6+7
6. Red K4-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black H2+3
6. Black H2+3
7. Red H8-6 (captures the Advisor, check, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
7. Black K5=4
7. Black K5=4
8. Red C5=6 (check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
8. Black H3-4
8. Black H3-4
9. Red H6+8 (check, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
9. Black K4=5
9. Black K4=5
10. Red P3=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black H4-6
10. Black H4-6
11. Red C6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black H6+7 (check, the only legal reply)
11. Black H6+7
12. Red K4+1 (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 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black +H-5 (check)
12. Black +H-5
13. Red K4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black H7+8 (check, the only legal reply)
13. Black H7+8
14. Red K4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black H5-3
14. Black H5-3
15. Red H8-6 (check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
15. Black K5=4
15. Black K5=4
16. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
16. Black H8-7 (check, the only legal reply)
16. Black H8-7
17. Red K5=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 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
17. Black H7+8 (check)
17. Black H7+8
18. Red K4-1 (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 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
18. Black H8-7 (check)
18. Black H8-7
19. Red K4-1 (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 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
19. Black H7+8 (check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
19. Black H7+8
20. Red K4+1 (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 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
20. Black H8-7 (check)
20. Black H8-7
21. Red K4-1 (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 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
21. Black H3-4
21. Black H3-4
22. Red C5=8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
22. Black H7+8 (check)
22. Black H7+8
23. Red K4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
23. Black H8-9
23. Black H8-9
24. Red C8+9 (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 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
24. Black H4+6
24. Black H4+6
25. Red H6+8 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
25. Red H6+8

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: H5+6 2. C3=5 K5=6 3. H7-5 H7+8+ 4. E1-3 H8-7 5. +E-1 H7-8 6. C5=4 H8+7 7. C4+4 H7-6 8. H5+3 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 25 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 3: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Two Advisors"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C3-1 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. 2: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Soldiers with Full Advisors and Elephants Next puzzle: No. 4: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Cannons and Two Advisors (1) →