No. 46: Befriend the Far, Attack the Near

No. 46: Befriend the Far, Attack the Near楚河 漢界砲帥車仕卒相馬相仕傌卒兵俥馬俥士士傌將

"No. 46: Befriend the Far, Attack the Near" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 9 moves; the key first move is +R+2. 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, 2 Elephants, 2 Chariots, 2 Horses, a Soldier. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Chariot, 2 Horses, a Cannon, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red +R+2 (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.
    1. Black K4+1
    1楚河 漢界砲帥車仕卒相馬相仕傌卒兵俥馬士將士傌俥
    1. Black K4+1
  2. 2. Red +R-1 (check, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    2. Black K4-1
    2楚河 漢界砲帥車仕卒相馬相仕傌卒兵俥馬士俥士傌將
    2. Black K4-1
  3. 3. Red +R=5 (captures the Advisor, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Advisor.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 30 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    • The Chariot stands where it can be captured.
    3. Black R2+1 (check, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
    3楚河 漢界砲車帥仕卒相馬相仕傌卒兵俥馬士俥傌將
    3. Black R2+1
  4. 4. Red E5-7 (sacrifices the Elephant, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Elephant; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    • Not forcing: the defender has 23 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    4. Black R2=3 (captures the Elephant, check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
    4楚河 漢界砲車帥仕卒相馬仕傌卒兵俥馬士俥傌將
    4. Black R2=3
  5. 5. Red A5-6 (sacrifices the Advisor, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Advisor; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    • Not forcing: the defender has 25 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    5. Black R3=4 (captures the Advisor, check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply, the General has no escape square)
    5楚河 漢界砲車帥卒相馬仕傌卒兵俥馬士俥傌將
    5. Black R3=4
  6. 6. Red R5-8 (check, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    6. Black A6-5
    6楚河 漢界砲車俥帥卒相馬仕傌卒兵俥馬士傌將
    6. Black A6-5
  7. 7. Red R7+4 (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.
    7. Black K4+1
    7楚河 漢界砲車俥帥卒相馬仕傌卒兵馬將士傌俥
    7. Black K4+1
  8. 8. Red H4-5 (check, the only legal reply)
    Why it works
    • Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    8. Black K4+1
    8楚河 漢界砲車俥帥卒相馬仕傌卒兵傌馬將士俥
    8. Black K4+1
  9. 9. Red R7-2 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    9楚河 漢界砲車俥帥卒相馬仕傌卒兵傌馬俥將士
    9. Red R7-2

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界砲車俥帥卒相馬仕傌卒兵傌馬俥將士

Red wins after 9 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 46: Befriend the Far, Attack the Near"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move +R+2 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. 45: Meet Water, Build a BridgeNext puzzle: No. 47: Frontier Guard Asks Leave to Return →

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