No. 170: Bound and Surrendering

No. 170: Bound and Surrendering楚河 漢界帥卒車炮傌象卒砲兵將兵俥兵砲象

"No. 170: Bound and Surrendering" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 4 moves; the key first move is R5=4. 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, a Chariot, a Horse, a Cannon, 3 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Elephants, a Chariot, 2 Cannons, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R5=4 (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.
    • 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 C9=6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥卒車炮傌象卒砲兵將兵砲兵象
    1. Black C9=6
  2. 2. Red -P=5 (check, sacrifices the Soldier, 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 for
    • Gives up the Soldier; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    2. Black E3-5 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥卒車炮傌卒砲象將兵砲兵象
    2. Black E3-5
  3. 3. Red H7+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.
    3. Black C8=5 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥卒車炮卒傌砲象將兵砲兵象
    3. Black C8=5
  4. 4. Red C7+5 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    4楚河 漢界帥卒車卒傌砲炮象將兵砲兵象
    4. Red C7+5

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥卒車卒傌砲炮象將兵砲兵象

Red wins after 4 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 170: Bound and Surrendering"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move R5=4 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. 169: Lost at YinlingNext puzzle: No. 171: Gains and Losses Without Constancy →

Nearby puzzles

More from Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570) →

Languages: English · Tiếng Việt · 简体中文 · 繁體中文