No. 7: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2)

"No. 7: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2)" is a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) puzzle from the collection Double Horse mates. Red moves first and wins in 19 moves; the key first move is H4+5. Below you will find the full solution, what each move achieves, where it could go wrong, and the alternative defences.

Solve this puzzle on ChessZing →

Free, in the browser, no download.

Pieces on the board

Red has a General, a Elephant, 2 Horses. Black has a General, 2 Advisors, a Cannon.

Solution move by move

1. Red H4+5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 14 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
1. Black C4=1
1. Black C4=1
2. Red H5+3 (check)
2. Black K6+1
2. Black K6+1
3. Red H2-1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 16 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
3. Black C1+1
3. Black C1+1
4. Red H1+3
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 17 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
4. Black C1=5
4. Black C1=5
5. Red -H+1
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
5. Black A5+4
5. Black A5+4
6. Red H1+2
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
6. Black C5+4
6. Black C5+4
7. Red H3-5 (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.
7. Black K6=5
7. Black K6=5
8. Red H5+7
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 10 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
8. Black K5=4
8. Black K5=4
9. Red H2+4 (check)
9. Black K4=5
9. Black K4=5
10. Red H7+6 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 7 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
10. Black K5-1
10. Black K5-1
11. Red H4-5
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 15 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
11. Black C5=8
11. Black C5=8
12. Red H6-8
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
12. Black K5+1
12. Black K5+1
13. Red H8-6 (captures the Advisor)
Why it works
Wins material: takes the Advisor.
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 19 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
13. Black C8-6
13. Black C8-6
14. Red H6+7 (check)
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 4 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
14. Black K5-1
14. Black K5-1
15. Red H7-9
Why it works–
What to watch out for
Not forcing: the defender has 13 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
15. Black K5+1
15. Black K5+1
16. Red H9-7 (check)
16. Black K5-1
16. Black K5-1
17. Red K5=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 12 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
17. Black C8+9 (check)
17. Black C8+9
18. Red E3+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 11 replies, so compare each one before playing it.
18. Black C8-7
18. Black C8-7
19. Red H5+3 (checkmate)
Why it works
Ends the game: no legal reply remains.
What to watch out forNo real drawback in this position.
19. Red H5+3

Variations and alternative defences

The source manual records 8 variations. Each branch starts from the move number shown.

Variation 1, from move 9: C5-6 10. H7+8# Try it on the board
Variation 2, from move 8: K5-1 9. H2-4+ K5=6 10. H7+6 A4-5 11. H6-5 Try it on the board
Variation 3, from move 6: C5-2 7. H3+2+ C5=7 8. -H-3+ K6+1 9. H2-1 C7+2 10. H1-2 C7-2 11. H3+2+ K6-1 12. -H+1 C7+2 13. H1-3 Try it on the board
Variation 4, from move 10: C7-1 11. H2+4 C7+1 12. H4-5 Try it on the board
Variation 5, from move 9: -A+5 10. H3+2+ K6-1 11. H1-3+ C7+2 12. H2-1 Try it on the board
Variation 6, from move 8: K6-1 9. H2-3+ K6+1 10. +H+1+ Try it on the board
Variation 7, from move 4: A5+4 5. +H-1 -A+5 6. H1+2 A5-4 7. H3+1 C1-1 8. H2-3+ K6-1 9. H1+2+ C1=7 10. H3+1 Try it on the board
Variation 8, from move 2: K6=5 3. H2+4# Try it on the board

Final position

Red wins after 19 moves. The General has no legal move.

Questions about this puzzle

Who moves first in "No. 7: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (2)"?

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

How many moves does the solution take?

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

What is the key move?

The first move H4+5 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: No. 8: Two Horses Cleverly Win vs Cannon and Two Elephants (1)Next puzzle: No. 6: Two Horses and Elephant Win by Rule vs Cannon and Two Advisors (1) →