No. 12: Chariot and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Draw by Rule vs Chariot, Cannon and Two Advisors

"No. 12: Chariot and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Draw by Rule vs Chariot, Cannon and Two Advisors" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 9 moves; the key first move is R8-6. 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, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, a Chariot, a Cannon. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Chariot, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red R8-6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 30 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C5-4
1. Black C5-4
2. Red R8+4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 29 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black C5+4
2. Black C5+4
3. Red K5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 31 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black C5=6 (check, the only legal reply)
3. Black C5=6
4. Red K4=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 31 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C6=5
4. Black C6=5
5. Red R8-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 30 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black C5-4
5. Black C5-4
6. Red R8=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 31 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black C5=1
6. Black C5=1
7. Red R5=6 (check, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
7. Black C1=4
7. Black C1=4
8. Red E5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 23 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black R3=5
8. Black R3=5
9. Red R6+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black R5+2
9. Black R5+2

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 5: 5. R8=5 R3+2 6. R5-3 K4-1 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 12: Chariot and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Draw by Rule vs Chariot, Cannon and Two Advisors"?

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 R8-6 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. 11: Chariot and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Draw by Rule vs Chariot, Horse and Two Elephants Next puzzle: No. 1: Horse and Low Soldier Draw by Rule vs Two Elephants and One Advisor →