No. 173: When the Water Dries, the Fish Appear

No. 173: When the Water Dries, the Fish Appear楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕俥炮兵卒傌士俥將士

"No. 173: When the Water Dries, the Fish Appear" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 5 moves; the key first move is +R+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, 2 Advisors, 2 Chariots, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Chariot, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red +R+1 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Chariot, 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.
    • Wins material: takes the Advisor.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Chariot; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    1. Black A5-6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕俥炮兵卒傌將士
    1. Black A5-6
  2. 2. Red R4+8 (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.
    2. Black K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕炮兵卒傌將俥
    2. Black K5+1
  3. 3. Red R4=5 (check)
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • The Chariot stands where it can be captured.
    3. Black K5=4 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕炮兵卒傌將俥
    3. Black K5=4
  4. 4. Red H5-7 (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 K4+1 (threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕炮兵傌卒將俥
    4. Black K4+1
  5. 5. Red R5=6 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    5楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕炮兵傌卒將俥
    5. Red R5=6

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥仕砲馬車仕炮兵傌卒將俥

Red wins after 5 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 173: When the Water Dries, the Fish Appear"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move +R+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. 172: Spreading the Net on the MoveNext puzzle: No. 174: Thrice Enraging Zhou Yu →

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