No. 20: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two High Soldiers

"No. 20: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two High Soldiers" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 18 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 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

1. Red C3=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K4=5
1. Black K4=5
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 K5=6
2. Black K5=6
3. Red C5=4 (check)
3. Black K6=5
3. Black K6=5
4. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K5-1
4. Black K5-1
5. 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.
5. Black P5+1
5. Black P5+1
6. Red C4=5
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+1 (check)
6. Black P4+1
7. Red A5+6 (captures the Soldier, check, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
The Advisor stands where it can be captured.
7. Black K5=4
7. Black K5=4
8. Red P4=5
8. Black P5=4 (captures the Advisor, check)
8. Black P5=4
9. Red K6=5
9. Black P4=3
9. Black P4=3
10. Red C5=3
10. Black P3=4
10. Black P3=4
11. Red C3+2
11. Black P4=3
11. Black P4=3
12. Red K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
12. Black P3+1
12. Black P3+1
13. Red K5-1
13. Black P3=4 (check)
13. Black P3=4
14. Red K5=4
14. Black P4=3
14. Black P4=3
15. Red C3-1 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
15. Black P3+1
15. Black P3+1
16. Red K4-1
16. Black P3=2
16. Black P3=2
17. Red C3-1 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Black P2=1
17. Black P2=1
18. Red C3=9 (captures the Soldier, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
18. Red C3=9

Variations and alternative defences

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

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

Final position

Red wins after 18 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 20: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two High Soldiers"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

18 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. 19: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Lone Cannon Next puzzle: No. 21: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Cannon and Advisor (1) →