Many players think a soldier that reaches the back rank is finished. Strong endgame players know the opposite: an old soldier on the back rank is a superb tool for sealing the general in — that is the value of "the old soldier sweeps the mountain".

1. What an old soldier is

An old soldier has reached the enemy back rank. Three features:

  • It can only move sideways, never forward;
  • It occupies a key square near the enemy palace;
  • Because of that position, it is often the piece that seals the general's escape.

2. What it does

  1. Seals an escape: it often blocks one of the general's routes;
  2. Acts as a cannon screen: inside the cannon's line of fire it is a ready-made screen;
  3. Restricts advisors and elephants: it squeezes their space so they cannot plug gaps effectively.

A well-placed old soldier is often worth more than an ordinary soldier — sometimes it decides the endgame.

3. Typical use

  1. Red's soldier reaches Black's back rank and occupies a square on the general's escape route;
  2. A red chariot or cannon closes in from the other side and checks;
  3. Black's general cannot move because of the old soldier, and advisors and elephants cannot save it;
  4. Mate.

The point is: the old soldier is not there to capture — it is there to occupy.

4. When to send a soldier to the back rank

  • When it can seal a key square: if the old soldier blocks the general's key escape, it is worth pushing;
  • When it can serve as a cannon screen: if you are attacking with a cannon, the old soldier pays off immediately;
  • When not to rush: if the soldier one rank forward can still advance and create threats, do not hurry it to the back rank.

One criterion only: does it serve the final mate?

5. How to practise

Set up "soldier and chariot against a lone general" in single-player mode. Try attacking without the old soldier first, then push the soldier to the back rank and compare how hard the win is — you will feel the value of the old soldier holding a square.

Further reading: Two Ghosts at the Gate and How Cannon, High Soldier Beat Advisors and Elephants.