No. 1: Spirit That Swallows the Western Pass

"No. 1: Spirit That Swallows the Western Pass" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Elegant Pastimes (Shiqing Yaqu, 1570). Red moves first and wins in 6 moves; the key first move is C5=9. 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 Cannon, 4 Soldiers. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, 2 Elephants, a Chariot, 2 Horses, 2 Cannons, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red C5=9 (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
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black H7+5 (captures the Chariot)
1. Black H7+5
2. Red P6+1 (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.
2. Black K5=4 (captures the Soldier)
2. Black K5=4
3. Red R7+9 (captures the Elephant, check, sacrifices the Chariot, 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 Elephant.
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 E1-3 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
3. Black E1-3
4. Red C9+5 (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.
4. Black E3+5 (threatens mate next move)
4. Black E3+5
5. Red H8+7 (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 K4+1 (threatens mate next move)
5. Black K4+1
6. Red H2+4 (captures the Advisor, checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
6. Red H2+4

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 4 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 2: K5+1 3. R7+8+ K5+1 4. H2+4+ K5=6 5. H8+6+ K6-1 6. H6-5+ K6+1 7. R7=4+ K6=5 8. C9=5+ K5=4 9. R4=6# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 8: 8. R4=2+ K5=4 9. R2-1+ E3+5 10. R2=5# Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 1: A6+5 2. P6+1+ K5=4 3. R7+9+ E1-3 4. C9+5+ E3+5 5. H8+7+ K4+1 6. R5=6+ Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 2: 2. P6=5+ A4+5 3. R7+9+ E1-3 4. C9+5+ E3+5 5. H8+7+ A5-4 6. R5+5# Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 6 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 1: Spirit That Swallows the Western Pass"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move C5=9 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.

Next puzzle: No. 2: Horse Tramples the Khan's Consort →

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