No. 12: Horse, Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Elephants and One Advisor (2)

"No. 12: Horse, Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Elephants and One Advisor (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 6 moves; the key first move is C5=6. 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, a Elephant, a Horse, a Cannon. Black has a General, a Advisor, 2 Elephants, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red C5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black A5-6
1. Black A5-6
2. Red H4-5 (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 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K4=5
2. Black K4=5
3. Red H5+6 (check)
3. Black K5=6
3. Black K5=6
4. Red C6=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 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C6=9
4. Black C6=9
5. Red H6-4 (check)
5. Black K6=5
5. Black K6=5
6. Red C4+6 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Red C4+6

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: E5-7 2. C6-2 E3-1 3. H4+6+ K4+1 4. A5+6# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 1: C6-2 2. H4-6+ A5+4 3. H6+5+ Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 12: Horse, Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Elephants and One Advisor (2)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C5=6 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.

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