No. 7: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (1)

No. 7: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (1)楚河 漢界帥傌馬傌象士將

"No. 7: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (1)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 29 moves; the key first move is H3+4. 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 H3+4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    1. Black E5-3
    1楚河 漢界帥馬傌傌士象將
    1. Black E5-3
  2. 2. Red H4+3 (check)
    2. Black K5=4
    2楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌象將
    2. Black K5=4
  3. 3. 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.
    3. Black K4+1
    3楚河 漢界帥馬傌將士傌象
    3. Black K4+1
  4. 4. Red H3-4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    4. Black A5+6
    4楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌將象
    4. Black A5+6
  5. 5. Red K4=5
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    5. Black H6-4
    5楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌將象
    5. Black H6-4
  6. 6. Red K5+1
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    6. Black H4+6
    6楚河 漢界帥馬傌士傌將象
    6. Black H4+6
  7. 7. Red H8-7 (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.
    7. Black K4-1
    7楚河 漢界帥馬傌傌士象將
    7. Black K4-1
  8. 8. Red H4+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 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    8. Black E3+5
    8楚河 漢界帥馬傌傌象士將
    8. Black E3+5
  9. 9. Red H6+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.
    9. Black K4=5
    9楚河 漢界帥馬傌象士傌將
    9. Black K4=5
  10. 10. Red H7+5 (captures the Elephant, sacrifices the Horse)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Elephant.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Horse; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    • Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    10. Black H6-5 (captures the Horse)
    10楚河 漢界帥馬士傌將
    10. Black H6-5
  11. 11. Red H8-7
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    11. Black K5+1
    11楚河 漢界帥傌馬士將
    11. Black K5+1
  12. 12. Red H7+5 (captures the Horse)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Horse.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    12. Black K5-1
    12楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    12. Black K5-1
  13. 13. Red K5=6
    13. Black A6-5
    13楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    13. Black A6-5
  14. 14. Red H5+7 (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.
    14. Black K5=6
    14楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    14. Black K5=6
  15. 15. Red H7-9
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    15. Black K6+1
    15楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    15. Black K6+1
  16. 16. Red K6=5
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    16. Black K6-1
    16楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    16. Black K6-1
  17. 17. Red H9-7
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    17. Black K6=5
    17楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    17. Black K6=5
  18. 18. Red H7+6
    18. Black K5=6
    18楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    18. Black K5=6
  19. 19. Red H6-5
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    19. Black A5+4
    19楚河 漢界帥傌士將
    19. Black A5+4
  20. 20. Red H5+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.
    20. Black K6+1
    20楚河 漢界帥士傌將
    20. Black K6+1
  21. 21. Red K5+1
    21. Black K6+1
    21楚河 漢界帥士將傌
    21. Black K6+1
  22. 22. Red H3-2
    22. Black A4-5
    22楚河 漢界帥傌將士
    22. Black A4-5
  23. 23. Red H2+4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    23. Black A5-6
    23楚河 漢界帥傌將士
    23. Black A5-6
  24. 24. Red H4+2 (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.
    24. Black A6+5
    24楚河 漢界帥將傌士
    24. Black A6+5
  25. 25. Red H2+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.
    25. Black K6-1
    25楚河 漢界帥士將傌
    25. Black K6-1
  26. 26. Red H3-5 (captures the Advisor)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Advisor.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    26. Black K6+1
    26楚河 漢界帥將傌
    26. Black K6+1
  27. 27. Red H5+3 (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.
    27. Black K6-1
    27楚河 漢界帥將傌
    27. Black K6-1
  28. 28. Red K5-1 (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.
    28. Black K6-1
    28楚河 漢界帥將傌
    28. Black K6-1
  29. 29. Red H3-2 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    29楚河 漢界帥傌將
    29. Red H3-2

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥傌將

Red wins after 29 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 7: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (1)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H3+4 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. 6: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Two Soldiers and Two ElephantsNext puzzle: No. 8: Two Horses Win by Rule vs Horse, Advisor and Elephant (2) →

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