Offering the Horse to the Tiger's Mouth

"Offering the Horse to the Tiger's Mouth" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Chariot & Horse mates. Red moves first and wins in 26 moves; the key first move is H4+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, a Chariot, a Horse. Black has a General, a Chariot, 2 Soldiers.

Solution move by move

1. Red H4+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black R5-1 (check, threatens mate next move, the only legal reply)
1. Black R5-1
2. Red K4-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 22 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P4=5 (check, the only legal reply)
2. Black P4=5
3. Red K4-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K5=4
3. Black K5=4
4. Red R4=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.
4. Black K4=5 (threatens mate next move)
4. Black K4=5
5. Red H2+3 (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 K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
5. Black K5+1
6. Red H3-4 (check)
6. Black K5-1 (threatens mate next move)
6. Black K5-1
7. Red H4+6 (check)
7. Black K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
7. Black K5+1
8. Red R6=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black K5=4
8. Black K5=4
9. Red H6+8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black K4=5
9. Black K4=5
10. Red H8+6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black K5=4
10. Black K5=4
11. Red R4=6 (check, the only legal reply)
Why it works
Forcing: the opponent has only one reply, so the line cannot be avoided.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
11. Black K4=5 (threatens mate next move)
11. Black K4=5
12. Red H6-7 (check)
12. Black K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
12. Black K5+1
13. Red R6=4 (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.
13. Black K5=4
13. Black K5=4
14. Red H7+8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black P3+1
14. Black P3+1
15. Red R4+6
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 22 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black R5-6
15. Black R5-6
16. Red R4-3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 22 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
16. Black R5+5
16. Black R5+5
17. Red H8-9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 23 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
17. Black K4-1
17. Black K4-1
18. Red R4+2 (check)
18. Black K4-1
18. Black K4-1
19. Red H9+8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 22 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
19. Black R5-4
19. Black R5-4
20. Red R4+1 (check, 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.
Takes away the General's escape squares.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
20. Black R5-2 (threatens mate next move)
20. Black R5-2
21. 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.
21. Black K4+1 (threatens mate next move)
21. Black K4+1
22. Red R4=5 (captures the Chariot, threatens mate next move)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Chariot.
Creates an immediate mating threat that must be answered.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
22. Black K4+1
22. Black K4+1
23. Red R5-8 (captures the Soldier)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Soldier.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
23. Black P3=4
23. Black P3=4
24. Red R5+4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
24. Black P4=5
24. Black P4=5
25. Red R5-1 (captures the Soldier, 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.
25. Black K4-1
25. Black K4-1
26. Red R5=6 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
26. Red R5=6

Variations and alternative defences

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

Variation 1, from move 17: R5=7 18. R4+1+ K4-1 19. H9-7+ K4=5 20. R4=5# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 14: P5=4 15. R4=8 K4=5 16. R8+4+ K5-1 17. H8-7+ K5+1 18. H7-6+ K5-1 19. R8+1+ K5-1 20. R8+1+ K5+1 21. H6+7+ Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 14: K4=5 15. R4+4+ K5-1 16. H8-7+ K5=4 17. R4+2 Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 10: R5=4 11. H6-7+ K5=4 12. H7+8+ K4=5 13. R4=5# Try it on the board
Variation 5, from move 7: K5=4 8. H6-8+ K4=5 9. R6=4 K5+1 10. H8+9 K5=4 11. H9-7 K4+1 12. H7+8 Try it on the board
Variation 6, from move 10: R5=4 11. H9+7+ K5=4 12. H7-8+ Try it on the board
Variation 7, from move 9: K5=4 10. H8-6 K4+1 11. H6+7 K4+1 12. H7+8 Try it on the board
Variation 8, from move 3: K5+1 4. R4+5+ K5-1 5. R4-2 K5=4 6. R4=6+ K4=5 7. H2+4+ K5+1 8. R6=4 K5+1 9. H4+2 K5-1 10. H2+4 K5-1 11. H4-3 K5=4 12. H3-5 K4=5 13. H5+7 Try it on the board
Variation 9, from move 9: P5=4 10. H2+4+ K5-1 11. H4-3+ K5+1 12. R4+1+ K5-1 13. R4-5+ Try it on the board
Variation 10, from move 8: R5-5 9. H4+3+ K5=4 10. R4=6+ R5=4 11. H3-4+ Try it on the board
Variation 11, from move 8: R5=4 9. H4-6+ K5=4 10. H6+8+ Try it on the board
Variation 12, from move 5: R5=4 6. R4=5+ K5=4 7. R5-5 R4+2+ 8. K4+1 R4-7 9. R5+4 P3+1 10. K4=5 K4+1 11. H2+3 P3+1 12. H3+5 Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 26 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "Offering the Horse to the Tiger's Mouth"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H4+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.

← Previous puzzle: Advance Separately, Strike Together Next puzzle: Every Move Calculated →

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