No. 22: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (2)

"No. 22: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 17 moves; the key first move is P4+1. 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, a Advisor, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C5=4
1. Black C5=4
2. Red P4=5 (check)
2. Black K5-1
2. Black K5-1
3. Red A6-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black A4-5
3. Black A4-5
4. Red C7-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C4+6
4. Black C4+6
5. Red C7=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 22 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black A5-6
5. Black A5-6
6. Red P5=6 (check)
6. Black K5=4
6. Black K5=4
7. Red C5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black K4=5
7. Black K4=5
8. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black C4=5
8. Black C4=5
9. Red A5+6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black C5=3
9. Black C5=3
10. Red C6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black C3+2
10. Black C3+2
11. Red K4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black C3-1 (check)
11. Black C3-1
12. Red A6-5 (check, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
12. Black A6+5
12. Black A6+5
13. Red P6=5 (captures the Advisor, check, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
13. Black K5=4
13. Black K5=4
14. Red C5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black C3=1
14. Black C3=1
15. Red K4-1 (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 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black C1-6
15. Black C1-6
16. Red A5+6 (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.
16. Black C1=4
16. Black C1=4
17. Red C6+8 (captures the Cannon, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Cannon.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Red C6+8

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 2: K5=4 3. C7-7 A4-5 4. C7=6+ A5+4 5. K4=5 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 1: K5=4 2. P4+1 C5+6 3. C7-7 C5=4 4. A6-5 C4=5 5. C7=6+ A4-5 6. A5+6+ A5+4 7. K4=5 C5-6 8. K5+1 C5+6 9. P4=5+ K4=5 10. C6=5 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 2: C5=2 3. C7-1 C2+1 4. C7=6+ A4-5 5. C6=2 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. 22: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (2)"?

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 P4+1 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.

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