📚 Taolue Yuanji — a Ming-dynasty endgame manual
Red to move and checkmate in 4. The two sides are almost level — both have two Rooks, two Cannons and a Knight — but Red is missing an Elephant, leaving a noticeably thinner defensive line. Yet Red wins quickly: the key lies in a relentless squeeze that never gives Black a single breath. The position comes from the classical manual Thao Lược Nguyên Cơ (No. 139) and is named after Điền Đơn's famous fire-oxen stratagem: with the state of Qi reduced to just two cities, one night of flaming oxen turned the whole war around. The story behind the name is told in this page's Anecdotes section. In your view, which of the four mating moves is the one that 'lights the fuse' for the herd?
✓ Engine-verified — The Fairy-Stockfish engine (NNUE) confirms Red checkmates in 4 moves — the main line was checked move by move, every move legal. Date checked: 2026-11-03.
一国が一城にまで縮んだ――救ったのは千頭の火牛だった
一国全体がただ一つの城にまで追い詰められたとき、それを救うのは軍隊ではない。赤い絹をまとい、角に刃を縛り、尾に油を浸した葦を結んだ千頭の牛――火の一夜である。 紀元前279年、楽毅率いる燕軍は斉の七十余城を落とし、残るは莒と即墨のみだった。燕の新王は讒言に耳を貸し、楽毅を凡将の騎劫に替えた。即墨を守る田単は心理戦の連打を放った。燕が捕虜の鼻を削ぎ斉の先祖の墓を暴くことだけを恐れるとの噂を流せば、騎劫は得意げに両方を実行し、即墨の人々は怒りに泣いて戦いを請うた。田単は精鋭を隠し、老弱を城壁に置き、金を持たせた使者を送って「降伏」を申し入れた――燕軍は早々に祝宴を開き、弛んだ。 決戦の夜、千頭を超…
Stories around this position — storytelling, not part of the engine-verified content.
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