No. 3: Cannon, Low Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant

"No. 3: Cannon, Low 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 14 moves; the key first move is A6+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 Advisors, a Elephant.

Solution move by move

1. Red A6+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K6-1
1. Black K6-1
2. Red A5+4 (check)
2. Black K6=5
2. Black K6=5
3. Red C4+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 E5+3
3. Black E5+3
4. Red P7=6
4. Black E3-1
4. Black E3-1
5. Red P6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black A5-6
5. Black A5-6
6. Red C4=2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black E1+3
6. Black E1+3
7. Red C2+8 (check, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
7. Black A6+5
7. Black A6+5
8. Red P5=4
8. Black K5=6
8. Black K5=6
9. Red P4=3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black E3-5
9. Black E3-5
10. Red C2-9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black K6=5
10. Black K6=5
11. Red C2=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black E5+3
11. Black E5+3
12. Red P3=4
12. Black E3-1
12. Black E3-1
13. Red P4+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.
13. Black E1-3
13. Black E1-3
14. Red P4+1 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
14. Red P4+1

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: E5+7 2. A5+4+ A5+6 3. P7=6 K6-1 4. C4+7 A4+5 5. C4=2 A5+4 6. C2-7 A4-5 7. C2=4+ K6=5 8. C4=5 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 3: E7-9 4. P6=5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 14 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 3: Cannon, Low 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?

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

What is the key move?

The first move A6+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. 2: Cannon, Low Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Two Elephants and One Advisor Next puzzle: No. 4: Cannon, Low Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs Elephant and Soldier →