No. 75: The Mighty Chief Yields in His Heart

No. 75: The Mighty Chief Yields in His Heart楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒仕俥士將車砲

"No. 75: The Mighty Chief Yields in His Heart" 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 R7=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 Advisors, a Chariot, a Cannon. Black has a General, a Advisor, 2 Chariots, 2 Cannons, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R7=4 (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 A5+6 (threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒仕俥士將車砲
    1. Black A5+6
  2. 2. Red R4=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.
    2. Black A6-5 (threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒仕俥士將車砲
    2. Black A6-5
  3. 3. Red A5+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.
    3. Black A5+6 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒俥仕士將車砲
    3. Black A5+6
  4. 4. Red R5+6 (check, sacrifices the Chariot, 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 for
    • Gives up the Chariot; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    4. Black R5+1 (captures the Chariot, check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
    4楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒仕士車將砲
    4. Black R5+1
  5. 5. Red A4-5 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    5楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒仕士車將砲
    5. Red A4-5

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界砲車仕帥炮卒仕士車將砲

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

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 75: The Mighty Chief Yields in His Heart"?

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 R7=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. 74: Climbing High, Treading DangerNext puzzle: No. 76: Languid Orioles, Idle Butterflies →

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