How do I mate with a chariot and a cannon against a bare general?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.

Direct answer

Use the chariot to restrict the general to as few points as possible while manoeuvring the cannon into a position where it has a screen to deliver the final check. Neither piece needs to do all the work alone, the chariot's job is confinement, and the cannon's job is the mate itself once a screen is available.

Why the two pieces divide the labour this way

A chariot can force a bare general to the edge of the palace, but on its own it mates only with your general's help, holding the file the enemy general would escape to. A cannon needs a screen to check at all, so bringing a chariot in first to restrict the general's squares is what creates the opportunity for the cannon to find one.

The general shape of the technique

Drive the general toward one edge or corner of the palace with the chariot, keeping it confined to as few points as possible, then bring the cannon onto a file or rank behind your chariot, so the chariot serves as its screen: with no other pieces on the board, it is the only screen available, since your own general can never stand between the cannon and the enemy general. The chariot can also mate a bare general with your general's help alone, as in mating with a chariot alone; the cannon by itself cannot force mate at all unsupported.

Related questions

Which piece should lead the attack?

Generally the chariot, since it restricts squares fastest; the cannon then completes the mate once a screen becomes available.

Is this mate faster than chariot alone?

Not by much against a bare general: a chariot and your general already mate it within two moves from any position. The cannon adds a second attacker, which matters more once the defender has pieces left.

Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.