No. 107: Phoenix Rises from Cinnabar Mountain

No. 107: Phoenix Rises from Cinnabar Mountain楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相俥象傌炮車士將俥砲士象

"No. 107: Phoenix Rises from Cinnabar Mountain" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 12 moves; the key first move is R8-1. 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, a Advisor, a Elephant, 2 Chariots, 2 Horses, a Cannon. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, 2 Chariots, 2 Cannons, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R8-1 (check, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    1. Black C4+1 (threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相俥象傌炮車士俥砲將士象
    1. Black C4+1
  2. 2. Red R8=6 (captures the Cannon, check, sacrifices the Chariot, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Cannon.
    • 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.
    2. Black R4-1 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相俥象傌炮士車將士象
    2. Black R4-1
  3. 3. Red H1+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.
    3. Black K6=5 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相俥象炮傌士車將士象
    3. Black K6=5
  4. 4. Red R6=5 (check, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    4. Black +E-5 (threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相俥炮傌象士車將士象
    4. Black +E-5
  5. 5. Red R5+3 (captures the Elephant, 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 Elephant.
    • 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.
    5. Black E7+5 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    5楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相炮傌象士車將士
    5. Black E7+5
  6. 6. Red C6=5 (check, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    6. Black E5+3 (threatens mate next move)
    6楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒卒仕相象炮傌士車將士
    6. Black E5+3
  7. 7. Red C5-5 (captures the Soldier, 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.
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    7. Black E3-5
    7楚河 漢界帥傌車砲卒炮仕相傌象士車將士
    7. Black E3-5
  8. 8. Red E5-3 (check, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    8. Black E5+3
    8楚河 漢界帥傌相車砲卒炮仕象傌士車將士
    8. Black E5+3
  9. 9. Red H4+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.
    9. Black E3-5
    9楚河 漢界帥相車砲卒炮仕傌傌象士車將士
    9. Black E3-5
  10. 10. Red H5+6 (check, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    10. Black E5+3
    10楚河 漢界帥相車砲卒炮仕傌象傌士車將士
    10. Black E5+3
  11. 11. Red H6+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.
    11. Black E3-5
    11楚河 漢界帥相車砲卒炮仕傌傌象士車將士
    11. Black E3-5
  12. 12. Red H5+7 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    12楚河 漢界帥相車砲卒炮仕傌傌象士車將士
    12. Red H5+7

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥相車砲卒炮仕傌傌象士車將士

Red wins after 12 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 107: Phoenix Rises from Cinnabar Mountain"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move R8-1 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.

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