No. 24: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors

"No. 24: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 21 moves; the key first move is C3=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 Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red C3=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 P3=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K6=5
2. Black K6=5
3. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K5=6
3. Black K5=6
4. Red C5=4 (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.
4. Black K6=5
4. Black K6=5
5. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black P4+1 (captures the Advisor)
5. Black P4+1
6. Red C4=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black P4=3
6. Black P4=3
7. Red K5+1
7. Black P3=2
7. Black P3=2
8. Red C6=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black P2=3
8. Black P2=3
9. Red C3+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black P3+1
9. Black P3+1
10. Red K5-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black K5=4
10. Black K5=4
11. Red C3-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black P3+1
11. Black P3+1
12. Red K5-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black A5+6
12. Black A5+6
13. 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.
13. Black P3=2
13. Black P3=2
14. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black K4+1
14. Black K4+1
15. Red C3=8 (captures the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
15. Black A6-5
15. Black A6-5
16. Red C8+3 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
16. Black A5-6
16. Black A5-6
17. Red C8=4
17. Black K4-1
17. Black K4-1
18. Red C4+6 (captures the Advisor, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
18. Black K4=5
18. Black K4=5
19. Red C4=2
19. Black A4-5
19. Black A4-5
20. Red K6=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.
20. Black K5=4
20. Black K5=4
21. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
21. Red P4=5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: K5=4 4. P4=5 K4+1 5. C5=6 P4=5 6. P5+1+ K4=5 7. C6=5 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: P4=3 3. C5=6 P3=2 4. C6=4+ K6=5 5. P4+1 P2=3 6. P4+1 P3=4 7. C4=6 P4=5 8. C6+1 P5=6 9. C6+6 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 1: P5=6 2. K5=4 P6+1+ 3. K4=5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 21 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 24: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C3=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. 23: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Horse and Advisor Next puzzle: No. 25: Cannon, High Soldier and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Elephants →