No. 8: Two High Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers

"No. 8: Two High Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 7 moves; the key first move is P6+1. 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, 2 Soldiers. Black has a General, a Horse.

Solution move by move

1. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black K5+1
1. Black K5+1
2. Red K4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black K5-1
2. Black K5-1
3. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black H7+5
3. Black H7+5
4. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black H5-4
4. Black H5-4
5. Red P4+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 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black H4-6
5. Black H4-6
6. Red P4=5 (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.
6. Black K5=6
6. Black K5=6
7. Red P6+1 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
7. Red P6+1

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: K5=4 2. K4=5 H7+5 3. P4+1 H5-3 4. P4=5 K4=5 5. P6+1 K5=6 6. P6=5 H3-5 7. -P=4 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 7 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 8: Two High Soldiers Win by Rule vs Horse and Two Soldiers"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P6+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.

← Previous puzzle: No. 7: Two High Soldiers Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Soldiers Next puzzle: No. 9: Three Low Soldiers Win by Rule vs Two Advisors and One Elephant →