No. 14: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Elephant and Soldier

"No. 14: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Elephant and Soldier" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 23 moves; the key first move is E7-9. 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 Elephant, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, a Elephant, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red E7-9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black E3+1
1. Black E3+1
2. Red E9-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black E1+3
2. Black E1+3
3. Red K6-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K5-1
3. Black K5-1
4. Red E7+5 (check)
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K5=6
4. Black K5=6
5. Red K6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K6+1
5. Black K6+1
6. 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.
6. Black K6=5
6. Black K6=5
7. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black K5-1
7. Black K5-1
8. 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.
8. Black E3-1
8. Black E3-1
9. Red C4=5 (check)
9. Black K5=4
9. Black K5=4
10. Red C5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black K4+1
10. Black K4+1
11. Red C6+3 (captures the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black K4+1
11. Black K4+1
12. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black K4=5
12. Black K4=5
13. Red K5=4
13. Black K5=4
13. Black K5=4
14. Red C6=7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black E1+3
14. Black E1+3
15. Red E5+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black E3-5
15. Black E3-5
16. Red P4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
16. Black E5+7
16. Black E5+7
17. Red K4=5
17. Black E7-5
17. Black E7-5
18. Red C7=8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
18. Black E5+3
18. Black E5+3
19. Red C8+4
19. Black E3-1
19. Black E3-1
20. Red C8-7
20. Black E1+3
20. Black E1+3
21. Red C8=5
21. Black E3-1
21. Black E3-1
22. Red C5=7
22. Black E1+3
22. Black E1+3
23. Red C7+5 (captures the Elephant, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
23. Red C7+5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: P4+1 4. P4=5+ K5=4 5. C5=2 P4+1+ 6. K6=5 K4=5 7. K5=4 P4=5 8. E7+5 K5=4 9. C2+3 K4-1 10. C2=5 P5=4 11. K4+1 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 23 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 14: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Elephant and Soldier"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move E7-9 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. 13: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Advisor and Soldier Next puzzle: No. 15: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Lone Cannon →