No. 13: Three Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants

"No. 13: Three Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 9 moves; the key first move is P5=4. Below you will find the full solution, what each move achieves, where it could go wrong, and the alternative defences.

Solve this puzzle on ChessZing →

Free, in the browser, no download.

Pieces on the board

Red has a General, 3 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Elephants, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red P5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
The Soldier stands where it can be captured.
1. Black E3-1
1. Black E3-1
2. Red K5=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black H4+6
2. Black H4+6
3. Red P3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black E1+3
3. Black E1+3
4. Red P4+1 (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.
4. Black K6-1
4. Black K6-1
5. Red P6=5 (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.
5. Black H6+5 (check)
5. Black H6+5
6. Red K4=5 (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.
6. Black H5+3 (check)
6. Black H5+3
7. Red K5+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 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black H3-4 (check)
7. Black H3-4
8. Red K5=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.
8. Black H4-5
8. Black H4-5
9. Red P4+1 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
9. Red P4+1

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 1 variation. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 1: 1. P3=4 H4+6 2. K5=4 H6+5+ 3. K4+1 H5-6 4. P4=3 E5+7 5. P3+1 E7-5 6. P5=4 E3-1 7. P4+1+ K6-1 8. P6=5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 9 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 13: Three Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Elephants"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P5=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. 12: Three Soldiers Win by Rule vs Full Advisors and Elephants Next puzzle: No. 14: Three Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Elephants →