No. 30: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Elephants and One Advisor

"No. 30: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, 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 H5+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 Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red H5+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black H3-5
1. Black H3-5
2. Red P3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black H5-3
2. Black H5-3
3. Red P3=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black A5+6
3. Black A5+6
4. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black E5+3
4. Black E5+3
5. Red H7-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black A6-5
5. Black A6-5
6. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
6. Black H3-5 (captures the Soldier)
6. Black H3-5
7. Red H5+4 (check, 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.
7. Black K5=6
7. Black K5=6
8. Red P6=5 (captures the Horse, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Horse.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black E7-5
8. Black E7-5
9. Red H4+2 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
9. Red H4+2

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 2: E5+3 3. P3=4 A5+6 4. H7+8 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. 30: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, 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 H5+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. 29: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors Next puzzle: No. 31: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse, Two Advisors and One Elephant →