No. 12: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant (2)

"No. 12: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 18 moves; the key first move is P7=6. 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, 2 Advisors, a Elephant.

Solution move by move

1. Red P7=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K5=6
1. Black K5=6
2. Red C5=7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black E3+5
2. Black E3+5
3. Red P6+1 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black E5+7
3. Black E5+7
4. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K6=5
4. Black K6=5
5. Red C7=5
5. Black K5=6
5. Black K5=6
6. Red C5-3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black K6=5
6. Black K6=5
7. Red E7-5 (check)
7. Black K5=6
7. Black K5=6
8. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black K6=5
8. Black K6=5
9. Red K5=4 (check)
9. Black K5=6
9. Black K5=6
10. Red P6=5
10. Black E7-9
10. Black E7-9
11. Red C5=4
11. Black E9+7
11. Black E9+7
12. Red C4+7 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
12. Black E7-9
12. Black E7-9
13. Red K4=5
13. Black E9+7
13. Black E9+7
14. Red C4-7
14. Black E7-5
14. Black E7-5
15. 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.
15. Black E5+7
15. Black E5+7
16. Red E5+3
16. Black E7-9
16. Black E7-9
17. Red C5=3
17. Black E9+7
17. Black E9+7
18. Red C3+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.
18. Red C3+5

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 3 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 4: K6+1 5. K6=5 E7-5 6. K5=4 E5+7 7. C7-3 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: E3+1 3. P6+1 A6-5 4. P6=5 K6+1 5. K6=5 A5-4 6. C7-1 K6-1 7. P5=4 A4+5 8. C7=4+ K6=5 9. P4+1 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 2: 2. P6+1 A6-5 3. P6+1 K6+1 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. 12: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant (2)"?

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 P7=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. 11: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant (1)Next puzzle: No. 13: Cannon, High Soldier and Elephant Win by Rule vs Advisor and Soldier →