Chariot and Horse Collection No. 100: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao

Chariot and Horse Collection No. 100: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao楚河 漢界帥俥卒卒卒卒卒象傌象將

"Chariot and Horse Collection No. 100: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Chariot & Horse mates. Red moves first and wins in 18 moves; the key first move is R1+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, a Chariot, a Horse. Black has a General, 2 Elephants, 5 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

  1. 1. Red R1+9 (check)
    1. Black K5+1
    1楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒象將傌象俥
    1. Black K5+1
  2. 2. Red R1-1 (threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    2. Black K5-1
    2楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒象傌俥象將
    2. Black K5-1
  3. 3. Red H2-4 (check)
    3. Black K5=4
    3楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒象傌俥象將
    3. Black K5=4
  4. 4. Red R1-2 (threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    4. Black K4+1
    4楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥象傌將象
    4. Black K4+1
  5. 5. Red R1=6 (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=5
    5楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥象傌將象
    5. Black K4=5
  6. 6. Red R6=7 (threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    6. Black K5=6
    6楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥象傌將象
    6. Black K5=6
  7. 7. Red H4+2 (threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    7. Black K6=5
    7楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥象將傌象
    7. Black K6=5
  8. 8. Red R7+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.
    8. Black K5-1
    8楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒象俥傌象將
    8. Black K5-1
  9. 9. Red H2-4 (check)
    9. Black K5=4
    9楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒象傌俥象將
    9. Black K5=4
  10. 10. Red R7-1 (threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    10. Black K4+1
    10楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥象傌將象
    10. Black K4+1
  11. 11. Red R7=5 (captures the Elephant)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Elephant.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    11. Black +P=4 (check)
    11楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥傌將象
    11. Black +P=4
  12. 12. Red K6=5
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    12. Black +P=5 (check)
    12楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒卒俥傌將象
    12. Black +P=5
  13. 13. Red K5+1 (captures the Soldier)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    13. Black P6=5 (check)
    13楚河 漢界卒帥卒卒卒俥傌將象
    13. Black P6=5
  14. 14. Red K5-1
    Why it works–
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    14. Black +P+1 (check)
    14楚河 漢界帥卒卒卒卒俥傌將象
    14. Black +P+1
  15. 15. Red K5+1 (captures the Soldier)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 9 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    15. Black P5+1 (check)
    15楚河 漢界卒帥卒卒俥傌將象
    15. Black P5+1
  16. 16. Red R5-5 (captures the Soldier, check)
    Why it works
    • Wins material: takes the Soldier.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    16. Black K4+1
    16楚河 漢界卒帥俥卒將傌象
    16. Black K4+1
  17. 17. Red R5+6 (threatens mate next move)
    Why it works
    • Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
    What to watch out for
    • Not forcing: the defender has 8 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
    17. Black P4+1
    17楚河 漢界卒帥卒將傌俥象
    17. Black P4+1
  18. 18. Red H4-5 (checkmate)
    Why it works
    • Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
    What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
    18楚河 漢界卒帥卒傌將俥象
    18. Red H4-5

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 12 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Final position

Final position楚河 漢界卒帥卒傌將俥象

Red wins after 18 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "Chariot and Horse Collection No. 100: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao"?

Red moves first, as in every puzzle of Chariot & Horse mates.

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move R1+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.

← Previous puzzle: 99. Helpless and at a LossNext puzzle: B. Chariot and Horse Class, Game 03 →

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