No. 25: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Elephants

"No. 25: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Elephants" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 8 moves; the key first move is C2=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, 2 Advisors, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Elephants, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red C2=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black P5=4
1. Black P5=4
2. Red A5-6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P4=5
2. Black P4=5
3. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black P5=6
3. Black P5=6
4. Red K5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black E5+3
4. Black E5+3
5. Red P4=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black P6+1 (captures the Advisor, check)
5. Black P6+1
6. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black +E-5
6. Black +E-5
7. Red A6+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black P6+1
7. Black P6+1
8. Red A5+4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Red A5+4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 4: P6=7 5. C5=4 K6=5 6. P4+1 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 1: P5=6 2. P4=5 K6=5 3. A5-6 P6=7 4. K6=5 P7=6 5. P5+1+ E3+5 6. K5+1 P6=7 7. C5+7 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 25: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Elephants"?

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 C2=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. 24: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors Next puzzle: No. 26: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Elephants Win by Rule vs Lone Horse (1) →