No. 21: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Elephants and One Advisor

"No. 21: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Elephants and One Advisor" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 11 moves; the key first move is H3+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, a Elephant, a Horse, a Cannon. Black has a General, a Advisor, 2 Elephants, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red H3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black H3+5
1. Black H3+5
2. Red H1-2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black A5+4
2. Black A5+4
3. Red H2+3 (check)
3. Black K5=4
3. Black K5=4
4. Red C5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K4+1
4. Black K4+1
5. Red H3+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K4=5
5. Black K4=5
6. Red H5-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black H5+7
6. Black H5+7
7. Red C6+6 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black H7+6
7. Black H7+6
8. Red C6=8 (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.
8. Black K5=4
8. Black K5=4
9. Red C8+1 (check)
9. Black K4-1
9. Black K4-1
10. Red K4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black H6+4 (captures the Advisor, check)
10. Black H6+4
11. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Red K5=6

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 6: K5=4 7. H7-8 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 21: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Elephants and One Advisor"?

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 H3+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. 20: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant (2)Next puzzle: No. 22: Horse and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse with Full Advisors and Elephants (1) →