No. 5: Cannon and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs Elephant and High Soldier

"No. 5: Cannon and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs Elephant and High Soldier" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 6 moves; the key first move is C3-1. 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, a Cannon. Black has a General, a Elephant, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red C3-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black P5=4
1. Black P5=4
2. Red C3=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P4=3
2. Black P4=3
3. Red K5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K5-1
3. Black K5-1
4. Red C6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black P3=4
4. Black P3=4
5. Red C5+7 (captures the Elephant)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Elephant.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black K5+1
5. Black K5+1
6. Red C5-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Red C5-1

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: 3. C6=5 P3=4 4. C5+7 P4+1 5. C5-1 K5-1 6. C5+2 P4=3 7. K5-1 P3=4 8. K5+1 P4=3 9. K5-1 P3=4 10. C5-7 K5=4 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: P4+1 3. C6=3 K5=4 4. C3+2 P4+1+ 5. K5=4 Try it on the board

Final position

The record ends here.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 5: Cannon and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs Elephant and High Soldier"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

6 moves. The main line is shown above; alternative defences are covered in the variations section.

What is the key move?

The first move C3-1 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. 4: Cannon and Two Advisors Win by Rule vs Single Soldier Next puzzle: No. 6: Two Cannons Win by Rule vs Two Advisors →