No. 4: Chariot, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Chariot and Two Advisors

"No. 4: Chariot, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Chariot and Two Advisors" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 5 moves; the key first move is K5=4. 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 Elephant, a Chariot, a Cannon. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Chariot.

Solution move by move

1. Red K5=4 (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 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K5=4
1. Black K5=4
2. Red C5=6 (check, 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.
2. Black R5=4
2. Black R5=4
3. Red R4-2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K4=5
3. Black K4=5
4. Red C6=5 (check)
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K5=4
4. Black K5=4
5. Red R4=2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black R4+3
5. Black R4+3

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: R4+2 4. R4=2 A5+6 5. K4=5 A6-5 6. C6-2 A5-6 7. R2=5 K4+1 8. R5+5 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 4: Chariot, Cannon and Elephant Draw by Rule vs Chariot and Two Advisors"?

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 K5=4 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. 3: Chariot and Cannon Draw by Rule vs Chariot and Advisor Next puzzle: No. 5: Chariot and Cannon Draw by Rule vs Chariot and Elephant →