📚 Shiqing Yaqu — the famous Ming-dynasty collection of entertaining endgame compositions
Red to move. Only three Cannons and two Kings remain on the board: Red has one Cannon, Black has two. One against two, with no other piece to lean on — yet the classical manual Thích Tình Nhã Thú (No. 544) concludes that Red still holds the draw. This position has not been verified by engine; the result follows the old book. The name comes from the fable of the fox borrowing the tiger's might: the weakest animal in the forest escapes death and becomes 'lord of all beasts' simply by walking one step ahead of the tiger. On this board, Red's lone Cannon must likewise borrow something to survive against Black's two. In your view, whose — or what — 'might' is Red's Cannon borrowing here?
The weakest fox in the forest becomes 'king of beasts' — by walking one step ahead of a tiger
The fox had been caught by the tiger and was about to be dinner, yet with a few words it made the tiger walk behind it like a bodyguard — and from then on, in the eyes of the whole forest, it was "king of beasts". The fox said calmly: "You dare not eat me. Heaven has made me king of all beasts; to…
Stories around this position — storytelling, not part of the engine-verified content.
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