No. 21: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (1)

"No. 21: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (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 C7+7. 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 C7+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C5=4
1. Black C5=4
2. Red P4+1 (check)
2. Black K6-1
2. Black K6-1
3. Red P4+1 (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.
3. Black K6=5
3. Black K6=5
4. 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.
4. Black C4+1
4. Black C4+1
5. Red C7-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black C4=2
5. Black C4=2
6. Red C7=5 (check)
6. Black K5=4
6. Black K5=4
7. Red K4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black C2+4
7. Black C2+4
8. Red K4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black C2=5
8. Black C2=5
9. Red C5=6 (check)
9. Black K4=5
9. Black K4=5
10. Red A5+6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black A4-5
10. Black A4-5
11. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
The Soldier stands where it can be captured.
11. Black K5=6
11. Black K5=6
12. Red A6-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
The Advisor stands where it can be captured.
12. Black C5=8
12. Black C5=8
13. Red C6=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black C8+2
13. Black C8+2
14. Red K5=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 C8=9
14. Black C8=9
15. Red K6-1 (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 C9+1 (check)
15. Black C9+1
16. Red A5+4 (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 C9=6
16. Black C9=6
17. Red K6=5 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Red K6=5

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 7 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 5: K5=4 6. C7=6 C4+8 7. A5-6 K4=5 8. K4+1 K5=4 9. K4=5 K4+1 10. K5=6 K4-1 11. P4=5# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 4: A4-5 5. C7-7 C4+8+ 6. K4+1 A5-6 7. C7=5+ K5=4 8. K4=5 C4-2 9. C5=6+ C4=5 10. A5+6+ K4=5 11. C6=5 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 5: C4+1 6. P4=5+ Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 2: K6=5 Try it on the board
Variation 5, from move 1: A4-5 2. C7-2 A5+4 3. C7=5 C5=4 4. K4=5 K6=5 5. P4=5+ K5=6 6. C5=4 K6=5 7. K5+1 K5-1 8. P5+1 C4=3 9. C4=5+ Try it on the board
Variation 6, from move 1: C5=6 2. P4+1+ K6=5+ 3. P4=5+ K5=4 4. C7-6 C6=4 5. C7=6 Try it on the board
Variation 7, from move 1: C5+4 2. P4+1+ K6-1 3. C7-7 C5=4 4. C7=5 K6=5 5. P4=5+ A4-5 6. C5+8 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. 21: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (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 C7+7 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. 20: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two High Soldiers Next puzzle: No. 22: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (2) →