Chariot and Horse Roam Freely

"Chariot and Horse Roam Freely" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Chariot & Horse mates. Red moves first and wins in 20 moves; the key first move is H3+1. 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, a Soldier.

Solution move by move

1. Red H3+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 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 K6-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 21 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
2. Black P6=5 (check, the only legal reply)
2. Black P6=5
3. Red K6-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black K5+1
3. Black K5+1
4. Red H1-2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black R5-5
4. Black R5-5
5. Red H2+4 (check)
5. Black K5=6
5. Black K5=6
6. Red R6=4
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black R5+5 (threatens mate next move)
6. Black R5+5
7. Red H4-2 (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.
7. Black K6=5 (threatens mate next move)
7. Black K6=5
8. Red H2+3 (check)
8. Black K5+1 (threatens mate next move)
8. Black K5+1
9. Red R4=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 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
9. Black K5=6
9. Black K5=6
10. Red H3+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black R5-4
10. Black R5-4
11. 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.
11. Black R5-2
11. Black R5-2
12. Red R6-3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black R5+5
12. Black R5+5
13. Red H2-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 20 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black K6-1
13. Black K6-1
14. Red R6+2 (check)
14. Black K6-1
14. Black K6-1
15. Red H1+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black R5-4
15. Black R5-4
16. Red R6+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.
16. Black R5-2 (threatens mate next move)
16. Black R5-2
17. 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.
17. Black K6+1 (threatens mate next move)
17. Black K6+1
18. Red R6=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 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
18. Black P5=4 (check)
18. Black P5=4
19. Red K6+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.
19. Black K6+1
19. Black K6+1
20. Red H3+2 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
20. Red H3+2

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 10 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 13: R5=3 14. R6+1+ K6-1 15. H1-3+ K6=5 16. R6=5# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 10: K6=5 11. R6+2+ K5-1 12. H2-3+ K5=6 13. R6+2 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 6: R5=1 7. H4+2+ K6=5 8. R4=5+ R1=5 9. H2+3+ Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 5: R5=6 6. R6+3+ K5-1 7. R6+1+ K5+1 8. R6=4 Try it on the board
Variation 5, from move 4: K5=6 5. H2+3 K6+1 6. H3+2 Try it on the board
Variation 6, from move 4: K5+1 5. H2+4 K5=6 6. H4+2 K6=5 7. H2+3 Try it on the board
Variation 7, from move 2: R5=6 3. H1+3+ K5=6 4. H3-5+ K6=5 5. R6=5 R6-1 6. K6-1 R6-4 7. H5-7+ K5=6 8. H7+6+ Try it on the board
Variation 8, from move 1: K5+1 2. H1-2 K5=6 3. H2+4 R5-6 4. R6=4 P6=7 5. K6-1 P7=8 6. R4-4 R5=1 7. H4+2+ K6=5 8. R4=5+ R1=5 9. H2+3+ Try it on the board
Variation 9, from move 5: R5+5 6. H4+6+ K6=5 7. R4+3+ K5+1 8. H6+8 Try it on the board
Variation 10, from move 3: R5-5 4. R6=4 R5+5 5. R4-1 P6=7 6. H4+6+ Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 20 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "Chariot and Horse Roam Freely"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H3+1 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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