No. 5: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Elephant

"No. 5: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Elephant" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Practical Endgames. Red moves first and wins in 11 moves; the key first move is P4+1. 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 Elephant, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red P4+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black E5+7
1. Black E5+7
2. Red K5=6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P5=4
2. Black P5=4
3. Red K6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black P4+1
3. Black P4+1
4. Red E7+9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black K4=5
4. Black K4=5
5. Red P6+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 6 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black P4=5
5. Black P4=5
6. Red P6+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.
6. Black K5-1
6. Black K5-1
7. 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 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
7. Black P5=4
7. Black P5=4
8. 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.
8. Black K5=6
8. Black K5=6
9. Red P6+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 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black P4+1 (check)
9. Black P4+1
10. Red K6+1 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
10. Black E7-5
10. Black E7-5
11. Red P6=5 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
11. 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 1: K4=5 2. P6+1 E5+3 3. K5+1 P5+1 4. K5-1 E3-1 5. P6=5+ K5=4 6. P4+1 E1+3 7. P4=5+ K4-1 8. -P=6 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 11 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 5: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Elephant"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move P4+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. 4: High and Low Soldiers Win by Rule vs Two Elephants, Two Soldiers Beat Two Elephants Next puzzle: No. 6: Two High Soldiers and Elephant Win by Rule vs Soldier and Advisor →