No. 30: Populous Nation, Mighty Army

No. 30: Populous Nation, Mighty Army楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮俥象傌馬象兵車砲兵士馬俥將士兵兵

"No. 30: Populous Nation, Mighty Army" 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 +P=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, 4 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, 2 Chariots, 2 Horses, a Cannon, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red +P=4 (captures the Advisor, check, sacrifices the Soldier)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Advisor.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    1. Black K5=6 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮俥象傌馬象兵車砲兵士馬俥將兵
    1. Black K5=6
  2. 2. Red R3=4 (check)
    2. Black A5+6 (threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮俥象傌馬象士兵車砲兵馬俥將兵
    2. Black A5+6
  3. 3. Red R4+4 (captures the Advisor, 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 Advisor.
    • 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.
    3. Black H8+6 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮象傌馬象馬兵車砲兵俥將兵
    3. Black H8+6
  4. 4. Red R1=4 (check, sacrifices the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Gives up the Chariot; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    4. Black K6+1 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮象傌馬象馬兵車砲兵將兵
    4. Black K6+1
  5. 5. Red P6=5 (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.
    5. Black K6-1 (threatens mate next move)
    5楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮象傌馬象馬兵車砲兵將兵
    5. Black K6-1
  6. 6. Red C5=4 (check, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Takes away the General's escape squares.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    6. Black H6+5 (threatens mate next move)
    6楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮馬象傌馬象兵車砲兵將兵
    6. Black H6+5
  7. 7. Red P2=3 (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.
    7. Black E5-7 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    7楚河 漢界帥車卒卒炮馬象傌馬兵車砲兵將象
    7. Black E5-7
  8. 8. Red P3=4 (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.
    8. Black H5+6 (captures the Cannon, threatens mate next move)
    8楚河 漢界帥車卒卒馬象傌馬兵車砲兵將象
    8. Black H5+6
  9. 9. Red P5+1 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    9楚河 漢界帥車卒卒馬象傌馬兵車砲兵將象
    9. Red P5+1

Variations and alternative defences

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

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界帥車卒卒馬象傌馬兵車砲兵將象

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

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 30: Populous Nation, Mighty Army"?

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 +P=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. 29: Besieged on All SidesNext puzzle: No. 31: In War, Swiftness Beats Finesse →

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