No. 15: Horse and Cannon Win by Rule vs Cannon and High Soldier

"No. 15: Horse and Cannon Win by Rule vs Cannon and High Soldier" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 21 moves; the key first move is H1+3. 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 Horse, a Cannon. Black has a General, a Cannon, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red H1+3 (check)
1. Black K5=4
1. Black K5=4
2. Red C2=6 (check, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
2. Black P4=5
2. Black P4=5
3. Red H3-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black P5+1
3. Black P5+1
4. Red H4+6 (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.
4. Black P5=4
4. Black P5=4
5. Red K4=5 (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 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black C5+2
5. Black C5+2
6. Red H6+8 (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.
6. Black K4=5
6. Black K4=5
7. Red C6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black C5+5
7. Black C5+5
8. Red H8-6 (check)
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black K5-1
8. Black K5-1
9. Red H6-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black P4+1 (check)
9. Black P4+1
10. Red K5=6 (captures the Soldier, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black C5=9
10. Black C5=9
11. Red H7+5 (check)
11. Black K5=6
11. Black K5=6
12. Red H5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black K6=5
12. Black K6=5
13. Red H3+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.
13. Black C9=5
13. Black C9=5
14. Red H5+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.
14. Black K5=6
14. Black K5=6
15. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black C5=7
15. Black C5=7
16. Red H3-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
16. Black C7=6
16. Black C7=6
17. Red C5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
17. Black C6+1
17. Black C6+1
18. Red K5=4 (captures the Cannon, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Cannon.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
18. Black K6=5
18. Black K6=5
19. Red C4=6
19. Black K5=6
19. Black K5=6
20. Red K4=5 (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.
20. Black K6+1
20. Black K6+1
21. Red C6=4 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
21. Red C6=4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: K4=5 4. H4+6+ K5+1 5. C6=5+ Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: P4=3 3. H3-5+ C5+2 4. H5+7 C5=6 5. K4=5 C6=9 6. H7-8 P3+1 7. H8-6+ C9=4 8. H6-7+ Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 21 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 15: Horse and Cannon Win by Rule vs Cannon and High Soldier"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H1+3 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. 14: Horse, Cannon, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant (2)Next puzzle: No. 16: Horse, Cannon and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Horses and Advisor →