Classic xiangqi puzzles
A xiangqi puzzle is not an ordinary endgame. It is a position composed so that exact play wins and almost anything else draws or loses. Chinese players have collected them for centuries, and the library here holds 1,790 named positions from those collections.
The books
- Shi Qing Ya Qu (1570): the largest of the Ming collections, with 550 positions, many of them short and sharp.
- Meng Ru Shen Ji: a Ming collection of which only part survives. Some of its positions reappear in later books.
- Ju Zhong Mi (The Secret in the Orange, Ming): best known for opening play, with a section of endgames.
- Lan Ke Shen Ji: a concise book of winning positions, good for training calculation.
- Zhu Xiang Zhai and Yuan Shen Hai Kuo: Qing dynasty collections, with long and deep compositions.
- Tao Lue Yuan Ji, Xin Wu Can Bian and Xiang Ju Hui Cun: later works, which preserved many positions played by street masters.
- The eight great street games: the famous Jianghu compositions such as Seven Stars, which street players used for wagers.
How to solve one
- Start with forcing moves: checks first, then captures, then threats.
- Expect a sacrifice. A composer rarely gives you a position that wins by simple material, and giving up a chariot or cannon to open a line is the classic idea.
- Check your own general before anything else. Many positions start with your opponent threatening mate in one, so a quiet move loses at once.
- Follow the opponent's best defence, not the one you hope for.
Playing them here
Each puzzle is set up on the board and played out against a strong engine, so a win has to be earned. Some of the old positions are draws with perfect play, as the composers intended. If you go wrong, press Try again to replay the same position for practice. Only your first attempt counts toward your rating.