No. 62: Nowhere to Plead One's Case

No. 62: Nowhere to Plead One's Case楚河 漢界帥車卒馬俥傌車炮俥炮砲砲士士將

"No. 62: Nowhere to Plead One's Case" 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 R2+3. 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. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Chariots, a Horse, 2 Cannons, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R2+3 (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 forNo real drawback in this position.
    1. Black C6-2 (threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥車卒馬俥傌車炮炮砲士士將砲俥
    1. Black C6-2
  2. 2. Red R4+7 (captures the Cannon, 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 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 A5-6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥車卒馬傌車炮炮砲士將士俥
    2. Black A5-6
  3. 3. Red C3+3 (check)
    3. Black A6+5 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥車卒馬傌車炮砲士士將炮俥
    3. Black A6+5
  4. 4. Red C3-4 (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.
    4. Black A5-6 (threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥車卒馬炮傌車炮砲士將士俥
    4. Black A5-6
  5. 5. Red H8+6 (check, sacrifices the Horse, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Horse; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    5. Black R4-1 (captures the Horse, threatens mate next move)
    5楚河 漢界帥車卒馬炮炮車砲士將士俥
    5. Black R4-1
  6. 6. Red C1=5 (check, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 5 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    6. Black C5=7 (threatens mate next move)
    6楚河 漢界帥車卒馬炮炮車砲士將士俥
    6. Black C5=7
  7. 7. Red C3=5 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    7楚河 漢界帥車卒馬炮炮車砲士將士俥
    7. Red C3=5

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥車卒馬炮炮車砲士將士俥

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

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 62: Nowhere to Plead One's Case"?

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 R2+3 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. 61: Tigers Fight over the MealNext puzzle: No. 63: Wheels of the Leading Carriage →

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