No. 23: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants (2)

"No. 23: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 11 moves; the key first move is C4-4. 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. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red C4-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black A5+4
1. Black A5+4
2. Red H6-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K6=5
2. Black K6=5
3. Red C4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black -A+5
3. Black -A+5
4. Red H5+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black H8+6
4. Black H8+6
5. Red C5+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K5=4
5. Black K5=4
6. Red H7+9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black E3+1
6. Black E3+1
7. Red H9+7 (check)
7. Black K4=5
7. Black K4=5
8. Red H7-6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black H6-7
8. Black H6-7
9. Red H6+8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black E1-3
9. Black E1-3
10. Red H8+7 (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.
10. Black K5=4
10. Black K5=4
11. Red C5=6 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
11. Red C5=6

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 3 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 2: E3+1 3. H5+4+ H8-6 4. H4+3+ H6+7 5. -A+5 -A+5 6. A5+4+ H7-6 7. H3-1 A5+6 8. A4-5 E1-3 9. H1-3 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 4: K6=5 5. C4=1 K5+1 6. C1+7 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 1: K6=5 2. C4=5 H8+6 3. H6+7+ K5=6 4. C5=6 E5+3 5. E3-5 +E-5 6. K4+1 E5+3 7. K4+1 A5+6 8. C6+8 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. 23: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants (2)"?

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 C4-4 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. 22: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants (1)Next puzzle: No. 1: Horse, Cannon, Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers with Full Advisors and Elephants →