No. 8: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (2)

No. 8: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (2)楚河 漢界帥馬傌傌士將象

"No. 8: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 18 moves; the key first move is H4+3. 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 Horses. Black has a General, a Advisor, a Elephant, a Horse.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red H4+3 (check)
    1. Black K5=4
    1楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌將象
    1. Black K5=4
  2. 2. Red H7+8 (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.
    2. Black K4+1
    2楚河 漢界帥馬傌將士傌象
    2. Black K4+1
  3. 3. Red H3-4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    3. Black A5+6
    3楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌將象
    3. Black A5+6
  4. 4. Red K4=5
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    4. Black H6-4
    4楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌將象
    4. Black H6-4
  5. 5. Red H4+2
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    5. Black E7+5
    5楚河 漢界帥馬象士傌傌將
    5. Black E7+5
  6. 6. Red H2-1
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    6. Black E5-7
    6楚河 漢界帥傌馬士傌將象
    6. Black E5-7
  7. 7. Red H1+3
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    7. Black H4-2
    7楚河 漢界帥傌馬士傌將象
    7. Black H4-2
  8. 8. Red H3+4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    8. Black A6-5
    8楚河 漢界帥馬傌將士傌象
    8. Black A6-5
  9. 9. Red H4-5 (check, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    9. Black E7+5
    9楚河 漢界帥傌馬象傌將士
    9. Black E7+5
  10. 10. Red H5+3
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    10. Black H2+1
    10楚河 漢界帥馬象傌傌將士
    10. Black H2+1
  11. 11. Red H3-4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    11. Black E5-7
    11楚河 漢界帥馬傌傌將士象
    11. Black E5-7
  12. 12. Red H4+6
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    12. Black A5-6
    12楚河 漢界帥馬傌傌將士象
    12. Black A5-6
  13. 13. Red H6-8
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    13. Black H1-2
    13楚河 漢界帥傌馬傌將士象
    13. Black H1-2
  14. 14. Red -H-6 (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 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    14. Black H2+1
    14楚河 漢界帥傌馬傌將士象
    14. Black H2+1
  15. 15. 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.
    15. Black A6+5
    15楚河 漢界帥傌馬傌將士象
    15. Black A6+5
  16. 16. Red H6+8
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    16. Black H1-2
    16楚河 漢界帥傌馬傌將士象
    16. Black H1-2
  17. 17. Red -H+7 (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 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    17. Black E7+5
    17楚河 漢界帥馬傌象傌將士
    17. Black E7+5
  18. 18. Red H7+8 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    18楚河 漢界帥馬象傌將士傌
    18. Red H7+8

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥馬象傌將士傌

Red wins after 18 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 8: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (2)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H4+3 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. 7: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (1)Next puzzle: No. 9: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Advisors (1) →

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