No. 32: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Elephants and One Advisor

"No. 32: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Elephants and One Advisor" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 9 moves; the key first move is P8=7. 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 Horse, 2 Soldiers. Black has a General, a Advisor, 2 Elephants, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red P8=7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 21 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C1-5
1. Black C1-5
2. Red P4+1 (check, 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.
2. Black K5+1
2. Black K5+1
3. Red P7=6 (check, 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.
3. Black K5=6
3. Black K5=6
4. Red P4=5 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C1-1
4. Black C1-1
5. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black E5+7
5. Black E5+7
6. Red K5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black E7-9
6. Black E7-9
7. Red H3-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black C1+3
7. Black C1+3
8. Red H1-2 (threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 21 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black C1=6
8. Black C1=6
9. Red H2+3 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
9. Red H2+3

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: C1=6 2. H3+2 C6-5 3. H2-4 K5=6 4. H4-2 A6-5 5. P7=6 A5-4 6. K6=5 E3-1 7. H2-4 K6+1 8. H4-6 E1+3 9. H6+7 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: A6-5 3. P7=6 A5+4 4. H2-3 C6-4 5. P4+1# Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 4: E5+7 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 9 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 32: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Elephants and One Advisor"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P8=7 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. 31: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant Next puzzle: No. 33: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon, Two Advisors and One Elephant →