No. 18: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants (2)

"No. 18: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 17 moves; the key first move is C3=5. 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, 2 Elephants, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red C3=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black E3-1
1. Black E3-1
2. Red H5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black E1-3
2. Black E1-3
3. Red A5+4 (check, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black H7-5
3. Black H7-5
4. Red K6+1 (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.
4. Black E3+1
4. Black E3+1
5. Red H3-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K5=6
5. Black K5=6
6. Red H4+5 (captures the Elephant, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
6. Black K6+1
6. Black K6+1
7. Red H5-3 (check)
7. Black K6-1
7. Black K6-1
8. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black H5+6 (captures the Advisor)
8. Black H5+6
9. Red K5=4
9. Black E1+3
9. Black E1+3
10. Red H3-5
10. Black K6+1
10. Black K6+1
11. Red E3-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black K6-1
11. Black K6-1
12. Red H5+6
12. Black E3-5
12. Black E3-5
13. Red C5+7 (captures the Elephant, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
13. Black K6+1
13. Black K6+1
14. Red C5-2 (check)
14. Black K6+1
14. Black K6+1
15. Red H6-7 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
15. Black K6-1
15. Black K6-1
16. Red E5-7
16. Black K6-1
16. Black K6-1
17. Red H7+5 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Red H7+5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: E5+7 4. H3-4 H7+6+ 5. K6+1 K5=6 6. K6=5 H6-8 7. H4+3+ K6+1 8. C5=4+ Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 1: K5=6 2. H5+3+ K6+1 3. C5=4 H7+8 4. C4+1 H8-7 5. C4+2 H7+8 6. H3-2 K6-1 7. C4+3 K6=5 8. C4=2 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 2: K6=5 3. A5+4+ Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 17 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 18: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants (2)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C3=5 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. 17: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants (1)Next puzzle: No. 19: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant (1) →