No. 16: Horse, Cannon and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Advisor

"No. 16: Horse, Cannon and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Advisor" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 17 moves; the key first move is H3+2. 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 Horse, a Cannon. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red H3+2 (check)
1. Black K6+1
1. Black K6+1
2. Red C6=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 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black H7+9
2. Black H7+9
3. Red A6-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black H9-8
3. Black H9-8
4. Red A5+4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black A5+6
4. Black A5+6
5. Red C1=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black A4-5
5. Black A4-5
6. Red A4-5 (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.
6. Black H8+6
6. Black H8+6
7. Red H2-3 (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.
7. Black K6-1
7. Black K6-1
8. Red H3-2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black K6=5
8. Black K6=5
9. Red H2+4 (captures the Horse)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Horse.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black A5+4
9. Black A5+4
10. Red C4+6 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black K5+1
10. Black K5+1
11. Red H4+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black K5-1
11. Black K5-1
12. Red C4-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black K5=4
12. Black K5=4
13. Red A5+6
13. Black A4-5
13. Black A4-5
14. Red K5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black A5+4
14. Black A5+4
15. Red H2+4 (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 A4-5
15. Black A4-5
16. Red C4=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.
16. Black A5+4
16. Black A5+4
17. Red C6+7 (captures the Advisor, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Red C6+7

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 4 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 5: H8+7 6. C4-1 H7-8 7. H2-3+ K6-1 8. C4+7 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 6: H7+6+ 7. K5+1 A4-5 8. K5+1 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 3: A5-4 4. A5+4 -A+5 5. C1=4+ A5+6 6. A4-5+ A6-5 7. H2-4+ K6+1 8. A5+4# Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 1: K6=5 2. C6+6 H7+5 3. C6=5+ 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. 16: Horse, Cannon and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Advisor"?

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 H3+2 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. 15: Horse and Cannon Win by Rule vs Cannon and High Soldier Next puzzle: No. 17: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants (1) →