No. 26: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Elephants Win by Rule vs Lone Horse (1)

"No. 26: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Elephants Win by Rule vs Lone Horse (1)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 17 moves; the key first move is P5=4. 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 Elephants, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red P5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K6=5
1. Black K6=5
2. Red K5=6 (check)
2. Black K5=6
2. Black K5=6
3. Red C5=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K6=5
3. Black K6=5
4. Red C3=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K5-1
4. Black K5-1
5. Red C4=5 (check)
5. Black K5=6
5. Black K5=6
6. Red E5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black H7+5
6. Black H7+5
7. Red P4+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 H5-7
7. Black H5-7
8. Red C5=4 (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.
8. Black K6=5
8. Black K6=5
9. Red P4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black K5=6
9. Black K5=6
10. Red C4=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black H7+5
10. Black H7+5
11. Red P5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black H5+6 (check)
11. Black H5+6
12. Red E3-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black H6+8
12. Black H6+8
13. Red K6-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black H8+6
13. Black H8+6
14. Red C3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black H6-7
14. Black H6-7
15. Red C3=4 (check)
15. Black K6=5
15. Black K6=5
16. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
16. Black H7+5
16. Black H7+5
17. Red K6+1 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Red K6+1

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 5 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 11: H5-4 12. C3=4+ K6=5 13. P4+1 H4+3 14. E3-5 H3+2+ 15. K6+1 H2-4 16. C4=5+ K5=4 17. P4=5# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 10: H7+9 11. P5=4 H9-8 12. C3=4+ K6=5 13. P4+1 H8+7 14. E7-5 H7+6 15. C4+1 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 9: H7+5 10. E7-5 H5-4 11. K6-1 H4+5 12. P5=4 H5+6 13. P4+1 Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 10: H5-7 11. C4=3 Try it on the board
Variation 5, from move 3: H7+6 4. C3=4 K6=5 5. P4+1 H6+7 6. C4+1 H7-6 7. C4=5+ H6+5 8. K6=5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 17 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 26: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Elephants Win by Rule vs Lone Horse (1)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P5=4 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. 25: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Elephants Next puzzle: No. 27: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Elephants Win by Rule vs Lone Horse (2) →