Studies of Winning Tactics for the Chinese Chess KN P kgm Endgame

Endgames do help improve the playing strength of computer Chinese chess programs. However, due to their large size, human players benefit minorly. Distance-to-mate (DTM) or distance-to-conversion (DTC) values computed for endgames do not capture the idea of human playing style. Typically, human players develop a high-level strategy during a game, which consists of a sequence of captures or piece exchanges. The capture process may not follow DTC or DTM values but aims at simplifying the game without creating risks. The process of piece exchanges is not recorded in any endgame databases. We propose a systematic method for finding important winning tactics in endgame studies, which may be useful in studying other endgames. As an illustration, we study the Chinese chess KN P kgm endgame and find winning tactics that are beneficial for human players. Although many winning tactics are known for RED to win, such as exchanging the red pawn for the black guard or minister, human players only need to focus on two tactics, namely to capture the black guard or minister to ensure a win when playing this endgame.