No. 15: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (1)

"No. 15: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (1)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 19 moves; the key first move is H6+5. 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 H6+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K6=5
1. Black K6=5
2. Red H5-4 (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 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black C7=1
2. Black C7=1
3. Red H3+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black C1-1
3. Black C1-1
4. Red H2-4 (check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
4. Black K5=6
4. Black K5=6
5. Red -H+3 (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+1
5. Black K6+1
6. Red H4-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black C1+1
6. Black C1+1
7. Red H5+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black K6+1
7. Black K6+1
8. Red +H+1 (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 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black C1-2
8. Black C1-2
9. Red H1-2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black C1+3
9. Black C1+3
10. Red H2-3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black C1=5
10. Black C1=5
11. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black A5+4
11. Black A5+4
12. Red -H+5
12. Black +A-5
12. Black +A-5
13. Red H3-4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black K6-1
13. Black K6-1
14. Red H4+5 (captures the Cannon, check)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Cannon.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
14. Black K6-1
14. Black K6-1
15. Red +H+3 (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.
15. Black K6+1
15. Black K6+1
16. Red K6=5
16. Black A5+4
16. Black A5+4
17. Red H5+6 (captures the Advisor, check, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
17. Black K6+1
17. Black K6+1
18. Red H3-4 (threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
18. Black A4+5
18. Black A4+5
19. Red H4+6 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
19. Red H4+6

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 6: C1=2 7. H5+3 K6+1 8. +H-1 C2=1 9. H1-3 C1+1 10. -H-4 C1+1 11. H4+5+ C1=5+ 12. K5=6 A5+4 13. H3-4 Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 2: C7=6 3. H3+2 C6-1 4. H4+6 C6=7 5. H6+4+ C7=6 6. K5+1# Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 5: K5=6 6. H4-2 Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 1: C7=6 2. H3+2+ K6+1 3. K5+1 C6=7 4. H5-3 A5+4 5. H2-1 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. 15: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (1)"?

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 H6+5 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. 14: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants (3)Next puzzle: No. 16: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2) →