No. 37: Cannon, Two Soldiers, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant

"No. 37: Cannon, Two Soldiers, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 8 moves; the key first move is P5=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 Cannon, 2 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Elephant, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red P5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K5=4
1. Black K5=4
2. Red P4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
The Soldier stands where it can be captured.
2. Black K4+1
2. Black K4+1
3. Red C4=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black E7+9
3. Black E7+9
4. Red P5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C2-3
4. Black C2-3
5. Red P6+1 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
5. Black A5+4 (captures the Soldier)
5. Black A5+4
6. Red P5=6 (captures the Advisor, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
The Soldier stands where it can be captured.
6. Black K4-1
6. Black K4-1
7. Red P6+1 (check, sacrifices the Soldier, 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 for
Gives up the Soldier; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
7. Black K4+1 (captures the Soldier)
7. Black K4+1
8. Red C3=6 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
8. Red C3=6

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: E7+5 2. P4=5 E5-3 3. C4=6 C2+4 4. K5=4 K5=6 5. P6+1 A5+4 6. C6+7 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: C2=1 3. C4=3 C1-3 4. C3=6 C1+6 5. P6=7 A5+6 6. P5=4 A4-5 7. P4+1 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 8 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 37: Cannon, Two Soldiers, Two Advisors and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P5=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.

← Previous puzzle: No. 36: Cannon, Two Soldiers and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors Next puzzle: No. 38: Cannon, Two Soldiers, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant →