No. 31: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant

"No. 31: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 5 moves; the key first move is H6+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, 2 Advisors, a Elephant, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red H6+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K4=5
1. Black K4=5
2. Red P7+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black E3-5
2. Black E3-5
3. Red H7+5 (captures the Elephant, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black H7+5
3. Black H7+5
4. Red H5+7 (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.
4. Black H5-4
4. Black H5-4
5. Red K5+1 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
5. Red K5+1

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: H7+5 2. P7+1+ K4=5 3. H7+8 E3-1 4. P7=6+ A5-4 5. H8-6# Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 5 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 31: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H6+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.

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