No. 6: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Advisor

"No. 6: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Advisor" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 12 moves; the key first move is P6=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 Soldiers. Black has a General, a Advisor, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red P6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black P5+1
1. Black P5+1
2. Red P5+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black A5-4
2. Black A5-4
3. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black A4+5
3. Black A4+5
4. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black A5-6
4. Black A5-6
5. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black P5=4
5. Black P5=4
6. Red P5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black A6+5
6. Black A6+5
7. Red K6=5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black P4=5
7. Black P4=5
8. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black A5+4
8. Black A5+4
9. Red K5+1
9. Black A4-5
9. Black A4-5
10. Red P4=5 (captures the Advisor, 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.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
10. Black K5=6
10. Black K5=6
11. Red P6+1 (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.
11. Black P5=4
11. Black P5=4
12. Red P6=5 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
12. Red P6=5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 3: K5=6 4. K5=4 P5=6 5. K4+1 P6=5 6. P4+1+ K6=5 7. P4+1# Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 12 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 6: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Advisor"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P6=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.

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