No. 16: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2)

"No. 16: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 19 moves; the key first move is H2+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, a Elephant, 2 Horses. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red H2+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C4-1
1. Black C4-1
2. Red H8+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black C4+1
2. Black C4+1
3. Red H1+3 (check)
3. Black K6=5
3. Black K6=5
4. Red H7-8
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 H3-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black C4=2
5. Black C4=2
6. Red H5+7 (check)
6. Black K4+1
6. Black K4+1
7. Red K5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black C2+1
7. Black C2+1
8. Red H8-7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black C2-1
8. Black C2-1
9. Red -H+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black C2=3
9. Black C2=3
10. Red H7-9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black C3-1
10. Black C3-1
11. Red H5+7 (check)
11. Black K4-1
11. Black K4-1
12. Red H9+8 (check)
12. Black C3+1
12. Black C3+1
13. Red H7+9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black K4=5
13. Black K4=5
14. Red H9+7 (captures the Cannon, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Cannon.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
14. Black K5=6
14. Black K5=6
15. Red H7-8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black K6+1
15. Black K6+1
16. Red -H+6 (captures the Advisor, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
The Horse stands where it can be captured.
16. Black K6+1
16. Black K6+1
17. Red H6+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
17. Black K6-1
17. Black K6-1
18. Red H7-5 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
18. Black K6-1
18. Black K6-1
19. Red H8-6 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
19. Red H8-6

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 4 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 10: K4-1 11. H9+8 K4+1 12. H5+7+ K4-1 13. H7+9 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: C4=3 3. H1+2+ K6+1 4. E7+5 A5-4 5. H7-8 -A+5 6. H8-6 C3=5 7. H6-4 A5-4+ 8. E5-7 C5+6 9. H4+5+ K6=5 10. H5-7 K5=4 11. H2+4+ K4=5 12. H7+6 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 5: C3+3 6. H2-3+ K6=5 7. H3-5 C3=5 8. H8+6 Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 1: C4=2 2. H1+3+ K6+1 3. K5+1 C2-1 4. H3-5+ K6-1 5. H8+6 A5+4 6. H5+6+ A4-5 7. H6+8 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 19 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 16: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H2+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.

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