17. The dragon soars, the phoenix rises

Secrets of the Golden Roc: 18 classical compositions

19 moves

Composition 17: 騰蛟起鳳, "The dragon soars, the phoenix rises". Red to move; the printed verdict is 勝. The line is the book's printed solution, kernel-verified.

A worn digit: 退三 would land on red's own soldier, so 退二 is the printed intent.

Printed 包二平四; only the fifth-file cannon can make this move. Another worn numeral.

Checkmate on the board, exactly as the book's 勝 claims.