No. 13: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Advisor and Soldier

"No. 13: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Advisor and Soldier" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 26 moves; the key first move is C8=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 Elephant, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, a Advisor, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red C8=5 (check)
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black A5+4
1. Black A5+4
2. 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.
2. Black K5=6
2. Black K5=6
3. Red C5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black A4-5
3. Black A4-5
4. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K6=5
4. Black K6=5
5. Red K5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black P6=5
5. Black P6=5
6. Red C4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black P5=4
6. Black P5=4
7. Red C5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black P4=3
7. Black P4=3
8. Red K4-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black P3=4
8. Black P3=4
9. Red K4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black P4=3
9. Black P4=3
10. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black P3=4
10. Black P3=4
11. Red K6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black P4=3
11. Black P4=3
12. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black P3=4
12. Black P3=4
13. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black P4=3
13. Black P4=3
14. Red C5+7 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
14. Black P3=4
14. Black P3=4
15. Red C5=9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black P4=5
15. Black P4=5
16. Red E5-3
16. Black P5=4
16. Black P5=4
17. Red C9-8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
17. Black P4=5
17. Black P4=5
18. Red C9=5 (check, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
18. Black P5=4
18. Black P5=4
19. Red E3+5 (check)
19. Black K5=4
19. Black K5=4
20. Red C5=6
20. Black K4+1
20. Black K4+1
21. Red C6+3 (captures the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
21. Black K4+1
21. Black K4+1
22. Red E5-3
22. Black K4=5
22. Black K4=5
23. Red P4=3
23. Black K5-1
23. Black K5-1
24. Red C6=1
24. Black K5+1
24. Black K5+1
25. Red C1+5 (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.
25. Black K5=6
25. Black K5=6
26. Red K6=5 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
26. Red K6=5

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 5 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 13: K5=4 14. P4=5 P4+1+ 15. K6-1 P4+1+ 16. K6=5 P4=3 17. C5=2 P3=4 18. C2=1 P4=3 19. K5+1 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 6: P5+1 7. P4+1 K5=4 8. C5+8 K4=5 9. P4=5 P5=4 10. K4+1 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 3: K6+1 4. E5+7 K6-1 5. K6=5 A4-5 6. C4=5 Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 4: K6=5 5. C4=6 Try it on the board
Variation 5, from move 1: K5=6 2. K6=5 A5-4 3. P4+1 A4+5 4. C5+8 K6=5 5. P4=5 K5=4 6. P5=6 K4=5 7. C5-6 K5=6 8. K5=4 P6+1+ 9. K4-1 K6=5 10. C5+1 K5+1 11. K4=5 P6+1 12. E7-5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 26 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 13: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Advisor and Soldier"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C8=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. 12: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant (2)Next puzzle: No. 14: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Elephant and Soldier →