No. 1: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers with Full Advisors and Elephants

"No. 1: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers with Full Advisors and Elephants" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 9 moves; the key first move is P5=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, a Advisor, 2 Elephants, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, a Horse, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

1. Red P5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black H3+4
1. Black H3+4
2. Red C5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P4=3
2. Black P4=3
3. Red H2+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K4+1
3. Black K4+1
4. Red C5=6 (check, 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.
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
4. Black A5+4
4. Black A5+4
5. Red H3-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black H4-6
5. Black H4-6
6. Red P6+1 (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.
6. Black K4=5
6. Black K4=5
7. Red C6=5 (check)
7. Black E5-3
7. Black E5-3
8. Red H4-6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black H6-8
8. Black H6-8
9. Red H6-5 (captures the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Red H6-5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: H3+2 2. C5=6+ H2-4 3. H2+3 P4=3 4. H3-4 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: K4=5 3. H2+3+ K5=6 4. C6=4# Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

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

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P5=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. 23: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants (2)Next puzzle: No. 2: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Soldiers with Full Advisors and Elephants →