Double Cannons

(3) The Double Toast

The Chinese term is 双杯献酒 Strictly speaking, this is a 2-move checkmating combination. The final blow is actually a “Smothered Mate” that will be discussed on a separate sub-menu. Inexperienced beginners often fall prey to this mating tactic. I feel I should touch on it before concluding this page. There are two variations as shown in the following diagrams.

Finally, I will show you on the next page, a game from the ancient manual 《自出洞来无敌手》(“Invincible Since Leaving the Cave”).