No. 18: Horse, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors (1)

"No. 18: Horse, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors (1)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 9 moves; the key first move is K5+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 Advisor, a Horse, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red K5+1
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=5
1. Black K6=5
2. Red H5-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P5=6
2. Black P5=6
3. Red P3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K5=6
3. Black K5=6
4. Red P3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black P6=7
4. Black P6=7
5. Red H7+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black P7=8
5. Black P7=8
6. Red H5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black P8=7
6. Black P8=7
7. Red P3+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.
7. Black K6=5
7. Black K6=5
8. Red H3+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.
8. Black P7+1
8. Black P7+1
9. Red H1+3 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
9. Red H1+3

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 4: A5+4 5. H7+5 K6=5 6. K5=6 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 1: K6+1 2. P3+1 K6-1 3. P3+1 K6=5 4. P3=4 P5=4 5. H5+6# Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 2: A5-6 3. H5-7 P5=4 4. P3+1+ K6+1 5. H7+6# 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. 18: Horse, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors (1)"?

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 K5+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. 17: Horse and High Soldier Win by Rule vs Low Soldier, Two Elephants and One Advisor Next puzzle: No. 20: Horse, High Soldier and Advisor Win by Rule vs High Soldier and Two Advisors (3) →