No. 151: Enemy Horses Drink From the River

No. 151: Enemy Horses Drink From the River楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮炮傌俥士砲兵兵兵士將象

"No. 151: Enemy Horses Drink From the River" 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 C9+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 Advisor, a Chariot, a Horse, 2 Cannons, 3 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Elephant, a Chariot, a Cannon, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red C9+5 (check, 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.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    1. Black -A+5 (threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌俥士砲兵兵士兵炮將象
    1. Black -A+5
  2. 2. Red R8+4 (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.
    2. Black A5-4 (threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士砲兵兵兵炮俥士將象
    2. Black A5-4
  3. 3. Red R8-1 (check, 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.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    3. Black -A+5 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士砲兵俥兵士兵炮將象
    3. Black -A+5
  4. 4. Red P7+1 (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.
    4. Black A5-4 (threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士砲兵俥兵炮兵士將象
    4. Black A5-4
  5. 5. Red P4+1 (check, sacrifices the Soldier, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
    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.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Soldier; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    5. Black K5=6 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    5楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士砲兵俥炮兵士將象
    5. Black K5=6
  6. 6. Red P7=6 (captures the Advisor, 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.
    • 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 forNo real drawback in this position.
    6. Black C5-2 (threatens mate next move)
    6楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士兵俥炮兵砲將象
    6. Black C5-2
  7. 7. Red P6=5 (captures the Cannon, check, sacrifices the Soldier, 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 Cannon.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    7. Black K6=5 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    7楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士兵俥炮將象
    7. Black K6=5
  8. 8. Red R8+1 (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.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    8. Black K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
    8楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士兵將炮俥象
    8. Black K5+1
  9. 9. Red H3+4 (check)
    9. Black K5=6 (threatens mate next move)
    9楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌士兵將炮俥象
    9. Black K5=6
  10. 10. Red H4+6 (captures the Advisor, check)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Advisor.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    10. Black K6+1 (threatens mate next move)
    10楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮傌將兵炮俥象
    10. Black K6+1
  11. 11. Red C9-2 (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.
    11. Black E7+5 (threatens mate next move)
    11楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮炮傌象將兵俥
    11. Black E7+5
  12. 12. Red P2=3 (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.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    12. Black K6-1 (threatens mate next move)
    12楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮炮傌象兵將俥
    12. Black K6-1
  13. 13. Red P3+1 (check)
    13. Black K6+1 (threatens mate next move)
    13楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮炮傌象將兵俥
    13. Black K6+1
  14. 14. Red H6+5 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    14楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮炮象將兵俥傌
    14. Red H6+5

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 4 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥卒車卒仕炮炮象將兵俥傌

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

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 151: Enemy Horses Drink From the River"?

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 C9+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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