No. 17: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant

"No. 17: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 20 moves; the key first move is C8=6. Below you will find the full solution, what each move achieves, where it could go wrong, and the alternative defences.

Solve this puzzle on ChessZing →

Free, in the browser, no download.

Pieces on the board

Red has a General, a Advisor, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Elephant.

Solution move by move

1. Red C8=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K4=5
1. Black K4=5
2. Red P4+1
2. Black E7+9
2. Black E7+9
3. Red A5+6
3. Black E9-7
3. Black E9-7
4. Red P4+1 (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 E7+9
4. Black E7+9
5. Red C6=5
5. Black E9+7
5. Black E9+7
6. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
6. Black A6+5 (captures the Soldier)
6. Black A6+5
7. Red C5+8 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black E7-9
7. Black E7-9
8. Red C5-2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black K5=6
8. Black K5=6
9. Red C5=4
9. Black E9-7
9. Black E9-7
10. Red A6-5
10. Black E7+5
10. Black E7+5
11. Red C4-6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black K6=5
11. Black K6=5
12. Red C4=5
12. Black K5=4
12. Black K5=4
13. 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.
13. Black K4+1
13. Black K4+1
14. Red C5+7 (captures the Elephant)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
14. Black K4=5
14. Black K4=5
15. Red A6-5
15. Black K5-1
15. Black K5-1
16. Red C5+1
16. Black K5=6
16. Black K5=6
17. Red C5=9 (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.
17. Black K6+1
17. Black K6+1
18. Red A5+4
18. Black K6-1
18. Black K6-1
19. Red C9-8 (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.
19. Black K6+1
19. Black K6+1
20. Red C9=4 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
20. Red C9=4

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 1 variation. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 1: E7+5 2. P4=5 E5-7 3. P5=6+ K4=5 4. P6+1 E7+9 5. P6+1 E9-7 6. C6=2 E7+5 7. C2+9+ E5-7 8. C2=1# Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 20 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 17: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C8=6 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. 16: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Elephants and One Advisor Next puzzle: No. 18: Cannon, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Lone Horse →