Now Floating, Now Sinking 载浮载沉
📚 Shiqing Yaqu — the famous Ming-dynasty collection of entertaining endgame compositions
Puzzle 188 of Thích Tình Nhã Thú is a siege built around the twin chariots. Eight of Red's nine moves are chariot checks: the pair hammer the palace in turns, and even when one chariot is captured by a black advisor mid-line the rhythm never falters; the Red pawn speaks exactly once, on move eight, before the surviving chariot finishes. Black has advisors, elephants and a chariot, cannon and horse to defend with, yet every reply is purely reactive. Prime practice for the alternating double-chariot attack and high-difficulty calculation stamina.
✓ Engine-verified — Two independent source transcriptions agree character for character; the Pikafish engine confirms Red checkmates in 9 moves.
- Source
- 適情雅趣 第188局
- Book result
- Red wins
- Verification
- ✓ Engine-verified
- Side to move
- Red to move
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Red forces
- King, Chariot ×2, Cannon, Pawn
- Black forces
- King, Advisor ×2, Elephant ×2, Horse, Chariot, Cannon, Pawn
- FEN
2bak3C/4a4/2P1b4/6RR1/9/9/9/9/c1nr1p3/4K4 w
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🧩 Open in SetupSolution
- 1.Red Chariot 6,3→6,0Black Advisor 4,1→5,0
- 2.Red Chariot 6,0→6,1Black Advisor 5,0→4,1
- 3.Red Chariot 7,3→7,0Black Advisor 4,1→5,0
- 4.Red Chariot 6,1→4,1Black Advisor 3,0→4,1
- 5.Red Chariot 7,0→7,1Black Elephant 4,2→6,0
- 6.Red Chariot 7,1→4,1Black King 4,0→3,0
- 7.Red Chariot 4,1→4,0Black King 3,0→3,1
- 8.Red Pawn 2,2→2,1Black King 3,1→3,2
- 9.Red Chariot 4,0→3,0