No. 127: Visiting Dai on a Snowy Night

"No. 127: Visiting Dai on a Snowy Night" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 7 moves; the key first move is R4+4. 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 Chariots, a Horse, 2 Cannons, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, 2 Chariots, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red R4+4 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Chariot)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Gives up the Chariot; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
1. Black R7=6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
1. Black R7=6
2. Red P6=5 (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=4 (threatens mate next move)
2. Black K5=4
3. Red P5=6 (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.
3. Black K4+1 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
3. Black K4+1
4. Red H9-7 (check)
4. Black K4-1 (threatens mate next move)
4. Black K4-1
5. Red H7+8 (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.
5. Black K4+1 (threatens mate next move)
5. Black K4+1
6. Red R2+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.
6. Black R6+1 (threatens mate next move)
6. Black R6+1
7. Red R2=4 (captures the Chariot, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Chariot.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
7. Red R2=4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 1: K5=6 2. R2=4+ K6=5 3. P6=5+ K5=4 4. P5=6+ K4+1 5. H9-7+ K4-1 6. H7+8+ K4+1 7. R4+2# Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 7 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 127: Visiting Dai on a Snowy Night"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move R4+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. 126: Falling Leaves Return in Autumn Next puzzle: No. 128: Geng Gong Prays at the Well →

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