No. 16: Two Cannons with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants

"No. 16: Two Cannons with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 11 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, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, 2 Cannons. Black has a General, 2 Elephants, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red K5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K6+1
1. Black K6+1
2. Red C3-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black H7-5
2. Black H7-5
3. Red C3=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black H5+3
3. Black H5+3
4. Red C7=8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black H3+2
4. Black H3+2
5. Red C5=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.
5. Black K6=5
5. Black K6=5
6. Red C4=7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black K5=4
6. Black K5=4
7. Red C7+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black K4-1
7. Black K4-1
8. Red C8=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.
8. Black K4=5
8. Black K4=5
9. Red C6=7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black E3-1
9. Black E3-1
10. Red -C=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black E1+3
10. Black E1+3
11. Red C7+4 (captures the Elephant)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Red C7+4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 2: H7+8 3. C7+1 K6=5 4. K5+1 H8-7+ Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 16: Two Cannons with Full Advisors and Elephants Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

11 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. 15: Two Cannons and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors Next puzzle: No. 1: Chariot and Cannon with Full Advisors and Elephants Draw by Rule vs Two Cannons with Full Advisors and Elephants →