No. 29: Besieged on All Sides

No. 29: Besieged on All Sides楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲象炮卒兵炮俥兵馬傌車將象俥傌車

"No. 29: Besieged on All Sides" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 11 moves; the key first move is R6+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 Chariots, 2 Horses, 2 Cannons, 2 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Elephants, 2 Chariots, 2 Horses, a Cannon, 4 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R6+2 (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.
    1. Black R3=4 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    1楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲象炮卒兵炮兵馬傌車將象俥傌車
    1. Black R3=4
  2. 2. Red P4+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.
    2. Black H8-6 (captures the Soldier, threatens mate next move)
    2楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲象炮卒兵炮馬傌車將象俥傌車
    2. Black H8-6
  3. 3. Red H8-6 (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 for
    • The Horse stands where it can be captured.
    3. Black +E-5 (threatens mate next move)
    3楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲炮卒兵炮傌象馬車將象俥傌車
    3. Black +E-5
  4. 4. Red C9=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.
    4. Black -H+8 (threatens mate next move)
    4楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲炮卒兵炮馬傌象車將象俥傌車
    4. Black -H+8
  5. 5. Red R5-1 (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.
    5. Black R4=5 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
    5楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲炮卒兵炮馬傌象車將象傌車
    5. Black R4=5
  6. 6. Red H3-4 (check, sacrifices the Horse, 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 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 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲炮卒兵炮馬傌象將車象車
    6. Black K6+1
  7. 7. Red H6-5 (captures the Soldier, 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.
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    7. Black K6-1 (threatens mate next move)
    7楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲炮傌兵炮馬象車將象車
    7. Black K6-1
  8. 8. Red H5+4 (check, sacrifices the Horse, 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 for
    • Gives up the Horse; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    8. Black K6+1 (captures the Horse, threatens mate next move)
    8楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲炮兵炮馬象將車象車
    8. Black K6+1
  9. 9. Red C6=4 (check, sacrifices the Cannon, 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 Cannon; the follow-up must be exact or the sacrifice is wasted.
    9. Black H8+6 (captures the Cannon, threatens mate next move)
    9楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬卒砲馬兵炮象將車象車
    9. Black H8+6
  10. 10. Red C4-2 (captures the Soldier, check, threatens mate next move, the General has no escape square)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    • 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.
    10. Black -H+4 (threatens mate next move)
    10楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬馬炮砲兵象將車象車
    10. Black -H+4
  11. 11. Red P3=4 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    11楚河 漢界帥卒卒馬馬炮砲兵象將車象車
    11. 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 漢界帥卒卒馬馬炮砲兵象將車象車

Red wins after 11 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 29: Besieged on All Sides"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move R6+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.

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