📚 Lanke Shenji — a Ming-dynasty endgame manual
Red to move and checkmate in 8. Red has no fewer than four Pawns across the river, swarming around Black's palace, supported by a Rook and a Knight; Black fields two Cannons, a Rook, a Knight and three Pawns. Four humble Pawns press right up against the enemy King — like awl tips poking out of a sack all at once. The position, from the classical manual Lạn Kha Thần Cơ, is named after Mao Toại: three years an unknown inside Bình Nguyên Quân's 'sack', then one morning at the Chu court he forced the King of Chu into a blood oath. The story is told in this page's Anecdotes section. In your view, which of Red's four Pawns will be the first 'awl tip' to pierce Black's defences?
✓ Engine-verified — The Fairy-Stockfish engine (NNUE) confirms Red checkmates in 8 moves — the main line was checked move by move, every move legal. Date checked: 2026-11-03.
「布袋」の中で三年、無名だった男――ある朝、楚王に血の誓いをさせた
三年間、彼は君侯の家で気づかれずに暮らし、顔も名も誰も知らなかった。ところがある朝、外国の宮廷で彼は剣の柄に手をかけ、王の顔に向かって叫んだ――そしてその王に、その場で血の誓約をさせた。 紀元前257年、秦軍は趙の都・邯鄲を包囲した。平原君は援軍を求めて楚へ行かねばならず、文武に通じた食客二十人を選んだが、満足できるのは十九人しかいなかった。無名の食客・毛遂が進み出て行かせてくれと請うた。平原君は笑った。才能とは袋の中の錐のようなもの――先はすぐに突き出る。あなたはここに三年いて、私は一度も聞いたことがない――どんな才能があるというのか。毛遂は不朽の返答をした。「それは今日初めて、私が袋に入れ…
Stories around this position — storytelling, not part of the engine-verified content.
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