No. 11: Two Cannons and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants

"No. 11: Two Cannons and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 5 moves; the key first move is C2=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, a Advisor, 2 Cannons. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants.

Solution move by move

1. Red C2=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.
1. Black K4=5
1. Black K4=5
2. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black A5-6
2. Black A5-6
3. Red +C=5 (check, the General has no escape square)
Why it works
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black -A+5
3. Black -A+5
4. Red C6=4
4. Black K5=6
4. Black K5=6
5. Red C5+7 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Red C5+7

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 2 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 3: +A-5 4. C6=2 E7+9 5. C2+9+ E9-7 6. C2=1# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: K5=6 3. +C=4 K6=5 4. C6=5 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 11: Two Cannons and One Advisor Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants"?

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 C2=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. 10: Two Cannons and Two Elephants Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants Next puzzle: No. 12: Two Cannons and One Elephant Win by Rule vs Two High Soldiers →