No. 31: In War, Swiftness Beats Finesse

No. 31: In War, Swiftness Beats Finesse楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒俥士象兵馬車士兵俥傌將象車

"No. 31: In War, Swiftness Beats Finesse" 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 P4+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, 2 Chariots, a Horse, a Cannon, 3 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, 2 Chariots, a Horse, a Cannon, 3 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red P4+1 (check, sacrifices the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Soldier; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    1. Black K5=6 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒俥士象兵馬車士俥傌將象車
    1. Black K5=6
  2. 2. Red R7+2 (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.
    2. Black E5-3 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士兵馬車士俥傌象將象車
    2. Black E5-3
  3. 3. Red R3=4 (check, sacrifices the Chariot)
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Chariot; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    3. Black K6+1 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士兵馬車士將傌象象車
    3. Black K6+1
  4. 4. Red +P=4 (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.
    4. Black A5+6 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士士馬車將傌象象車
    4. Black A5+6
  5. 5. Red C1=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.
    5. Black A6-5 (threatens mate next move)
    5楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士馬車士將傌象象車
    5. Black A6-5
  6. 6. Red H2-4 (check, sacrifices the Horse, the only legal reply)
    Why it works
    • Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Horse; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    6. Black K6+1 (captures the Horse, threatens mate next move)
    6楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士將馬車士象象車
    6. Black K6+1
  7. 7. Red P3=4 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    7楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士將馬車士象象車
    7. Red P3=4

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥砲卒卒炮兵卒士將馬車士象象車

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

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 31: In War, Swiftness Beats Finesse"?

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 P4+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.

← Previous puzzle: No. 30: Populous Nation, Mighty ArmyNext puzzle: No. 32: Soldiers and Horses Like Clouds →

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