To the Feast with a Single Blade 单刀赴会

📖 As recorded in the classical booksBook result: Red wins心武残编

📚 Xinwu Canbian — a Ming-dynasty endgame manual

楚河漢界cotuong.synerworlds.com將炮象兵士相卒卒相俥俥卒卒帥cotuong.synerworlds.com

Red to move. Red has two Rooks — the two strongest pieces — plus a Pawn and both Elephants; Black has no Rook at all, only a Cannon, four Pawns and an Advisor–Elephant palace guard. The classical manual Tâm Võ Tàn Biên (No. 21) gives the win to Red. This position has not been verified by engine; the result follows the old book. The name 'a single sabre to the banquet' recalls Quan Vũ walking alone, blade in hand, into Lỗ Túc's feast with 500 executioners hidden behind the curtains — and strolling out again holding his host's hand. The story is told in this page's Anecdotes section. In your view, when the enemy is left with only Cannons and Pawns, what is the cleanest, surest 'single-sabre' way for Red's two Rooks to finish the game?

📖 Anecdotes

敵の宴に刀一本で単身臨み――主人の手を握って帰った

ライバルの宴席、その幕の後ろには五百の剣士が控えていた。客は小舟で到着し、刀持ち一人と数人の供回りだけを連れてきた――飲み、笑い、自らの席で主人を圧倒し、去るにあたっては……主人の手を握り、川岸までずっと連れて歩いた。 215年、孫権は荊州の返還を要求した。魯粛は臨湘に宴を設け、関羽と「話し合おう」とした。『演義』では幕の後ろに剣士が控え、呂蒙と甘寧が合図に備えた。関羽が到着し、周倉に青龍偃月刀を持たせて侍らせ、悠然と語った――一句一句が硬く、魯粛は荊州について口を開くことさえできなかった。 帰り際、彼は魯粛の袖を固く握り――「今日は酔いました。荊州はまた今度」――「丁重な人質」を会話しながら…

— Đội ngũ SynerWorlds

Stories around this position — storytelling, not part of the engine-verified content.

Source
心武残编 第21局
Book result
Red wins
Verification
📖 As recorded in the classical books
Side to move
Red to move
Difficulty
Hard
Red forces
King, Elephant ×2, Chariot ×2, Pawn
Black forces
King, Advisor, Elephant, Cannon, Pawn ×4
FEN
3k5/4c4/b3Pa3/9/9/2B6/2p2p3/B3R2R1/3p1p3/4K4 w

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