Xiangqi News from Germany

We thank Dr. Rene Gralla, for contributing the following article, in the spirit of friendly Xiangqi news exchange among enthusiasts. --ed

Readers may have spotted some slight errors in the notation, in the game proper, 5.R2=3 instead of 5.R6=7, 8.R3=4 instead of 8.R7=6, 9.R4+2 instead of 9.R6+2, 10.R4-3 instead of 10.R6-3. --ed

Xie xie, Mrs. YuYing Huang - for teaching me The Windscreen Horses

By: Dr. Rene Gralla, Hamburg/Germany

The Lady against the Wild Man from the West. Mrs. YuYing Huang from Canada has fought a very interesting match against combative Michael Lee, San Francisco/USA, in 1999 on the occasion of the Forshang Cup.

Because of that game - that has been published at www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/orient/xiangqi/brilliancy.html -- I have learned a lot about the way to play The Windscreen Horses.

Now - after having studied that match some two years ago - there has been the chance for me to execute in reality that what I have learned by Mrs. YuYing Huang, namely the sacrifice of the Black defender's left-wing Horse against the Red attacker's right-wing Elephant and right wing Pawn on Red line 1 / Black line 9. That - hypothetic - sacrifice as Mrs. YuYing Huang has elaborated on the occasion of her comments with regard to her match against Michael Lee will lead to a fierce Black attack.

Thanks to that analyse I have been able to execute that sacrifice on the occasion of a friendly match against a strong player of the German Federal League of XiangQi, Hamburg's Mr. Markus Brenner, on the quite symbolic date of the Chinese New Year`s Eve 2009 on the afternoon of Sunday, January 25th, 2009, at the Chinese Tea House at Hamburg, Germany.

The first phase of that match of YuYing Huang versus Michael Lee that has been a kind of manual for me since that lucky day when I have detected that match in the web has thundered along as follows.

Red: YuYing Huang, Canada

Black: Michael Lee, USA

1999, Forshang Cup

Central Cannon versus Windscreen Horses

1.C2=5 H8+7 2.H2+3 R9=8 3.R1=2 P7+1 4.R2+6 H2+3 5.P7+1 C8=9 6.R2=3 C9-1 7.H8+7 A4+5 8.C8=9 C9=7 9.R3=4 P7+1!? 10.R9=8 R1=2 11.R8+6!? ...

Here Mrs. YuYing Huang points out that she should have played 11.P3+1xP! ... instead. With the possible consequence: 11.... H7+8 12.R4-4! ... (a blunder would have been: 12.R4=3?? ... because of 12.... H8-9 13.R3-1 E3+5 14.R3+2 C2=1!!, and Red will have severe trouble to save his right wing chariot).

And now the amazing sacrifice 12.... H8+9xP!! - since Red should not dare to kill that cocky Horse. Why? For after 13.H3+1xH? ..., "13.... C7+8xE check gives Black a fierce attack", as Mrs. YuYing Huang points out.

Nearly ten years after YuYing Huang vs. Michael Lee, Forshang Cup 1999, and two years after I have first studied that match I have had the chance to transform into reality on the board my virtual class in XiangQi by Mrs. YuYing Huang.

Red: Markus Brenner, Germany

Black: Dr. René Gralla, Germany

Friendly match, Chinese New Year's Eve 2009, January 25th, 2009, Chinese Tea House, Hamburg, Germany

Central Cannon versus Windscreen Horses

1.C2=5 H8+7 2.H2+3 H2+3 3.R1=2 R9=8 4.R2+6 C8=9 5.R6=7xP C9-1 6.C8=6 A4+5 7.P7+1 C9=7 8.R7=6 H7+8 9.R6+2!? ...

Nothing more than a rather arrogant demonstration.

9.... C2-1 10.R6-3 ...

By studying that position I realize suddenly that now there is the unique chance to try out that sacrifice that I have learned by replaying the match YuYing Huang vs. Michael Lee, Forshang Cup 1999, and by learning by heart the comments with regard to the - hypothetic - move order 1. C2=5 H8+7 2.H2+3 R9=8 3.R1=2 P7+1 4.R2+6 H2+3 5.P7+1 C8=9 6.R2=3 C9-1 7.H8+7 A4+5 8.C8=9 C9=7 9.R3=4 P7+1!? 10.R9=8 R1=2 11.P3+1xP! H7+8 12.R4-4! H8+9xP!! 13.H3+1xH? C7+8xE pp.

10.... H8+9xP!

A whole-hearted NI HAO by me to Mrs. YuYing Huang!

11.H3+1xH C7+8xE check 12.A4+5 R8+9 13.K5=4 C7=4xA check 14.K4+1 C4-1 check 15.K4+1 R8-3! 16.H1+2? ...

That move looks plausible, but that thrust by the Horse loses the match. Red should have tried: 16.E7+9!! ...

16.... R8+2

The deadly menace: 17.... R8=6 mate

17.A5-6 C2+7!

The menace again: 18.... R8=6 mate

18.C5-1 C2-1!! check

That move is much stronger than the rather prosaic 18.... R8=6 check 19.K4=5 R6-4xR pp.

19.C5+1! ...

The alternate 19.C6+2 ... leads to the immediate knock-out 19.... C4-1 mate

19.... R8-1! check 20.K4-1 C2+1 check 21.K4-1 R8+2 mate 0:1

Xie xie, Mrs. YuYing Huang, for teaching me to play that!