No. 1: Horse, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers

"No. 1: Horse, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 5 moves; the key first move is H3+5. Below you will find the full solution, what each move achieves, where it could go wrong, and the alternative defences.

Solve this puzzle on ChessZing →

Free, in the browser, no download.

Pieces on the board

Red has a General, a Elephant, a Horse, a Cannon. Black has a General, a Horse, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

1. Red H3+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K5+1
1. Black K5+1
2. Red C9=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K5=6
2. Black K5=6
3. Red H5+3 (check)
3. Black K6-1
3. Black K6-1
4. Red H3+2 (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.
4. Black K6+1
4. Black K6+1
5. Red C5=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 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K6=5
5. Black K6=5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: 1. C9=3 H7-6 2. H3+4 H6+4 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 1: Horse, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H3+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. 38: Cannon, Two Soldiers, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant Next puzzle: No. 2: Horse, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Cannon and Two Soldiers →