No. 31: Cannon, High Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Elephant

"No. 31: Cannon, High Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Elephant" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 11 moves; the key first move is P4=5. 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, a Elephant, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, a Elephant, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red P4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black E5+7
1. Black E5+7
2. Red E5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black C4=5
2. Black C4=5
3. Red C7=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K4=5
3. Black K4=5
4. Red P5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black E7-5
4. Black E7-5
5. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black E5+3
5. Black E5+3
6. Red C3=5 (check, 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.
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
6. Black E3-5
6. Black E3-5
7. Red K4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black C5=4
7. Black C5=4
8. Red P6=5 (captures the Elephant, check, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
8. Black K5=4
8. Black K5=4
9. Red C5=6 (sacrifices the Cannon, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Gives up the Cannon; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black C4+9 (captures the Cannon)
9. Black C4+9
10. Red A5-6 (captures the Cannon, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Wins material: takes the Cannon.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
10. Black K4-1
10. Black K4-1
11. Red P5+1 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
11. Red P5+1

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 3 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 1: E5+3 2. E5+7 E3-1 3. P5+1 C4=2 4. C7=6 K4-1 5. P5+1 C2+8+ 6. A5+6+ C2=4 7. K4=5 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: K4=5 3. C7=3 C4=7 4. C3=5 K5=4 5. C5=6 K4=5 6. C6=5 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 2: K4+1 3. C7=3 K4-1 4. P5=6 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 11 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 31: Cannon, High Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Elephant"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P4=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. 30: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs Horse and Elephant Next puzzle: No. 32: Cannon, High Soldier, Advisor and Elephant Win by Rule vs Horse and Elephant →