No. 27: Horse and High Soldier Win by Rule vs Cannon and Soldier

"No. 27: Horse and High Soldier Win by Rule vs Cannon and Soldier" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 16 moves; the key first move is P5+1. 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, a Soldier. Black has a General, a Cannon, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red P5+1 (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.
1. Black K4-1
1. Black K4-1
2. Red H3-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 21 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K4-1
2. Black K4-1
3. Red P5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black P5=6
3. Black P5=6
4. Red H4-6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C3+1
4. Black C3+1
5. Red H6+7
5. Black P6=5
5. Black P6=5
6. Red H7-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black C3=2
6. Black C3=2
7. Red P5=6 (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 K4=5
7. Black K4=5
8. 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.
8. Black K5=6
8. Black K5=6
9. Red P6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black C2+4
9. Black C2+4
10. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black C2=8
10. Black C2=8
11. Red H7-5 (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 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black C8-4
11. Black C8-4
12. Red P5=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.
12. Black K6=5
12. Black K6=5
13. Red H5+3 (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.
13. Black P5=4
13. Black P5=4
14. Red P4=5 (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.
14. Black K5=4
14. Black K5=4
15. Red H3-5 (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 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black C8+1
15. Black C8+1
16. Red H5+7 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
16. Red H5+7

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 2: C3+1 3. P5=6+ K4-1 4. H4-6 P5=4 5. H6+7 P4=5 6. K5=6 P5=4 7. K6+1 K4=5 8. P6+1 C3=2 9. P6=5+ K5=6 10. H7-5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 16 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 27: Horse and High Soldier Win by Rule vs Cannon and Soldier"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P5+1 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. 26: Horse and High Soldier Win by Rule vs Cannon and Elephant Next puzzle: No. 28: Horse and Two Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Advisors →