No. 57: Expanding to Fill the Six Directions

No. 57: Expanding to Fill the Six Directions楚河 漢界帥車卒車炮馬俥傌俥士兵士砲將

"No. 57: Expanding to Fill the Six Directions" 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 R3=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, a Cannon, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Chariots, a Horse, a Cannon, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R3=4 (check, sacrifices the Chariot, 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
    • Gives up the Chariot; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    1. Black A5+6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥車卒車炮馬士傌俥兵士砲將
    1. Black A5+6
  2. 2. Red R7=4 (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.
    • 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 H4-6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥車卒車炮士傌馬兵士砲將
    2. Black H4-6
  3. 3. Red P3+1 (check, sacrifices the Soldier, 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 for
    • Gives up the Soldier; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    3. Black C5=7 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥車卒車炮士傌馬士將砲
    3. Black C5=7
  4. 4. Red C7+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 A4+5 (threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥車卒車士傌士馬炮將砲
    4. Black A4+5
  5. 5. Red H8+6 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    5楚河 漢界帥車卒車士士馬炮傌將砲
    5. Red H8+6

Variations and alternative defences

What if Black defends differently? The alternatives below were checked with the rules engine; lines marked with a mating move lose at once, the others are worth trying on the analysis board.

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥車卒車士士馬炮傌將砲

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

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 57: Expanding to Fill the Six Directions"?

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 R3=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. 56: All Rivers Flow to the SeaNext puzzle: No. 58: Two Sages, Within and Without →

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