—and every arrow thereafter—is exactly the same as for the thirteenth: whenever they both hit it or both miss (1), or only the first archer hits, the first has prevailed (2) and the series ends. But if only the second archer hits, they must shoot the next arrow (3).

The controlling principle of this chapter, as stated earlier, is that in every situation where completing the shooting could yield a benefit for either party, completion is obligatory; but if no benefit can possibly be gained, completion is not required (4). Therefore, whenever enough arrows remain (5) for one of them either to overtake his opponent or to lose his own lead (6), they must finish the round; otherwise, they may stop.

For example, if victory has been fixed at a margin of three hits out of twenty, and they have already shot eighteen arrows—both missing, both hitting (7), or matching each other in hits—completion is unnecessary, because at most one of them could hit the final two while the other misses, and that would still not grant him the three-hit advantage.

Similarly, if one of the two already surpasses the other by five hits or more, completing the remaining two arrows is not required, for even if the other were to land both shots, the first would still be ahead by three hits.