Soldier endgames

What a lone soldier can finish and what it cannot. A soldier never moves backwards, which is why some of these are wins and some are not.

16 chapters

1. One unadvanced soldier vs Bare general

   A soldier short of the last rank beats a bare general. The red general does half the work by holding a file the black general cannot cross.

2. One unadvanced soldier vs One advisor, the winning exception

   A high soldier against one advisor is normally a draw, but it wins when the soldier already stands in the palace and Red is to move.

3. One soldier, across the river vs Bare general

   Wins as long as the soldier has not reached the last rank, where it can no longer advance.

4. A high and a low soldier vs Two advisors

   A high and a low soldier together beat two advisors.

5. Two soldiers and an elephant vs Two soldiers

   Reciprocal zugzwang: whoever moves first loses. Set for Black to move, so the verdict is a Red win; flip the side to move and it is a Black win.

6. Two unadvanced soldiers vs Two elephants

   Two unadvanced soldiers vs Two elephants

7. Three unadvanced soldiers vs A horse and two advisors

   Three unadvanced soldiers vs A horse and two advisors

8. General and soldier vs Bare general

   Red wins with either side to move. 1.Gd1 is a waiting move that puts Black in zugzwang; the win comes from the red general seizing the middle file, not from the soldier alone.

9. Two unadvanced soldiers vs A bare cannon

   A cannon with no platform to jump is close to useless on defence.

10. One soldier (with general and elephant) vs One advisor

    Tempo decides it: Red to play wins, Black to play draws. The general rule is that any extra defensive piece draws, and this is the case that takes real technique.

11. Two unadvanced soldiers vs A cannon beside its general

    A cannon with nothing to jump over cannot hold off two high soldiers.

12. Two unadvanced soldiers vs Two advisors

    Two unadvanced soldiers vs Two advisors

13. Three unadvanced soldiers vs A cannon and two elephants

    Three unadvanced soldiers vs A cannon and two elephants

14. Three unadvanced soldiers vs All four defensive pieces (士象全)

    The headline surprise of xiangqi endgames: three soldiers beat the full defence, while a chariot does not.

15. One unadvanced soldier vs One advisor

    One advisor is enough to hold a single high soldier.

16. Two unadvanced soldiers vs One advisor and one elephant

    The mixed pair defends where either pair alone does not: the advisor covers the palace, the elephant covers the approach.