No. 35: Cannon, High Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants (3)

"No. 35: Cannon, High Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants (3)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 14 moves; the key first move is P7=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, a Advisor, 2 Elephants, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants.

Solution move by move

1. Red P7=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black E9+7
1. Black E9+7
2. Red A4+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black E3+1
2. Black E3+1
3. Red A5+4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black E1-3
3. Black E1-3
4. Red C5-3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black E3+1
4. Black E3+1
5. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K5=4
5. Black K5=4
6. Red P6+1 (check, 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.
6. Black K4=5
6. Black K4=5
7. Red A4-5 (check, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
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.
7. Black E7-5
7. Black E7-5
8. Red C5+7 (captures the Elephant)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
8. Black E1+3
8. Black E1+3
9. Red C5-5 (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.
9. Black E3-1
9. Black E3-1
10. Red A5+4
10. Black E1+3
10. Black E1+3
11. Red C5-2 (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.
11. Black E3-1
11. Black E3-1
12. Red A4-5 (check, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
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.
12. Black -A+5
12. Black -A+5
13. Red P6+1 (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.
13. Black K5=6
13. Black K5=6
14. Red C5=4 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
14. Red C5=4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 4: K5+1 5. P6=5+ K5=6 6. C5=4 E7-5 7. A4-5+ +A-5 8. P5=4+ A5+6 9. P4+1+ K6=5 10. C4+9 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 6: 6. K6=5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 14 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 35: Cannon, High Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants (3)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P7=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. 34: Cannon, High Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants (2)Next puzzle: No. 36: Cannon, Two Soldiers and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors →