No. 176: Seeing Off and Welcoming

No. 176: Seeing Off and Welcoming楚河 漢界帥卒仕車俥卒象士將俥傌車

"No. 176: Seeing Off and Welcoming" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 14 moves; the key first move is R7+6. 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 Advisor, 2 Chariots, a Horse. Black has a General, a Advisor, a Elephant, 2 Chariots, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R7+6 (check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
    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.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    1. Black A6-5 (threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥卒仕車卒象俥士將俥傌車
    1. Black A6-5
  2. 2. Red R3-8 (check, 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.
    2. Black K6-1 (threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥卒仕車俥卒象俥士將傌車
    2. Black K6-1
  3. 3. Red R3=4 (captures the Chariot, check, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Chariot.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    3. Black K6=5
    3楚河 漢界帥卒仕俥卒象俥士將傌車
    3. Black K6=5
  4. 4. Red A5-4
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 25 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    4. Black R9=8 (captures the Horse)
    4楚河 漢界帥仕卒俥卒象俥士將車
    4. Black R9=8
  5. 5. Red R7=8
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 27 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    5. Black E5-3
    5楚河 漢界帥仕卒俥卒俥士象將車
    5. Black E5-3
  6. 6. Red R8+1
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 23 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    6. Black A5-4
    6楚河 漢界帥仕卒俥卒俥象士將車
    6. Black A5-4
  7. 7. Red R4=6 (captures the Soldier)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 18 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    7. Black R8+2
    7楚河 漢界帥仕俥卒車俥象士將
    7. Black R8+2
  8. 8. Red R6=1
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 23 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    8. Black E3+5
    8楚河 漢界帥仕俥卒象車俥士將
    8. Black E3+5
  9. 9. Red R1+8 (check)
    9. Black E5-7
    9楚河 漢界帥仕卒車俥士將象俥
    9. Black E5-7
  10. 10. Red R1=3 (captures the Elephant, 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 Elephant.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    10. Black K5+1
    10楚河 漢界帥仕卒車將俥士俥
    10. Black K5+1
  11. 11. Red R8-1 (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.
    11. Black K5+1
    11楚河 漢界帥仕卒將車俥士俥
    11. Black K5+1
  12. 12. Red R3=5 (check, 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.
    12. Black K5=6
    12楚河 漢界帥仕卒將車俥士俥
    12. Black K5=6
  13. 13. Red R5-7 (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 for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    13. Black R8+7
    13楚河 漢界帥仕車俥將俥士
    13. Black R8+7
  14. 14. Red R5=4 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    14楚河 漢界帥仕車俥將俥士
    14. Red R5=4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥仕車俥將俥士

Red wins after 14 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 176: Seeing Off and Welcoming"?

Red moves first, as in every puzzle of Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570).

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move R7+6 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. 175: Circling on All Four SidesNext puzzle: No. 177: Leaning on Each Other's Strength →

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