Two kinds of pieces in xiangqi never attack across the river: the elephants (Tượng, 相 / 象) and the advisors (Sĩ, 仕 / 士). Beginners often treat them as decoration. Experienced players know better: most endgames are decided by how many defenders each side has left, and many attacks succeed only because an advisor or elephant was missing.
This article explains how these defenders move, how they work together, and how to use them well.
The advisor: the general's bodyguard
The advisor moves one point diagonally and must stay inside the palace. That limits it to five points: the four corners of the palace and the center.
What advisors do:
- Block checks along files and ranks next to the general.
- Cover the palace points diagonally next to them, taking escape routes away from attacking pieces.
- Serve as screens — for your cannons (useful) and, unfortunately, for enemy cannons.
- Provide waiting moves in the endgame, which matters because running out of legal moves is a loss.
The standard setup is to keep one advisor in the center of the palace and one on a corner, or both on the back rank. Moving the central advisor away can leave the center of the palace open to horses and chariots.
The elephant: two steps, never across the river
The elephant moves exactly two points diagonally. It cannot cross the river, so it has only seven possible points: the starting points on the back rank, points on the third line including the center point in front of the general, and points on the river bank.
The elephant's eye
The point in the middle of the elephant's two-step diagonal is its eye. If any piece stands there, the elephant cannot move in that direction. Before relying on an elephant to defend a point, check the eye.
Elephants protect each other
When both elephants stand on points that can reach each other — for example one on the center point of the third line and the other on the back rank beside the palace — they are connected. Connected elephants guard each other and cover the central area in front of the palace. Breaking that connection is a common attacking aim.
Why defenders matter so much in endgames
Xiangqi endgame knowledge is organized around defenders. Players describe positions like "chariot versus horse with full defenders" (two advisors and two elephants) or "with one advisor missing". The same attacking material can be a win against a missing advisor and a draw against a full set.
Some general tendencies:
- A lone chariot often cannot break a full set of two advisors and two elephants in many positions, although it can against weakened defense.
- A horse or cannon plus a soldier typically needs the defender to be missing pieces to win.
- Advisors are especially important against horses, because they cover points the horse wants to attack.
- Elephants are especially important against cannons and soldiers, because they control the points in front of the palace.
These are tendencies, not laws; exact results depend on the position. The practical lesson is clear: do not give away advisors and elephants cheaply, even though they seem inactive.
Good and bad defensive setups
Solid
- Both advisors in the palace, one in the center.
- Both elephants connected, one on the center point.
- General on its starting point or one step to the side.
Weak
- Both advisors off the center line, leaving the palace center empty.
- An elephant stranded on the river bank where its partner cannot protect it.
- Elephant eyes blocked by your own horses or soldiers.
Using defenders actively
Even though they cannot attack across the river, defenders can help an attack:
- As screens for your cannons. A cannon on your back rank with an advisor or elephant in front can threaten the enemy along a line.
- By opening lines. Moving an elephant or advisor can open a file or rank for your chariot or discover your general's control of a file (see the flying general rule).
- As tempo moves. In endgames where the side to move is at a disadvantage, being able to shuffle an advisor back and forth can save the game.
When to trade a defender
Trading an elephant or advisor for an attacking piece is usually good for the side that gets the attacking piece. But trades between defenders — your elephant for their elephant — change the endgame balance. Ask: after the trade, whose attackers have become stronger? If you have the cannon and they are losing an elephant, the trade usually helps you.
Common mistakes
Moving advisors early for no reason. Every advisor move in the opening should have a purpose: blocking a check, freeing a line, or answering a threat.
Using an elephant to capture a soldier on the river bank and leaving it stranded. An isolated elephant can become a target and no longer protects its partner.
Forgetting the eye. A horse or soldier on the eye point stops the elephant cold.
Practice
Play an endgame against the computer on the home page where you deliberately keep all four defenders, and another where you trade one early. The difference in how comfortable your general feels is the best lesson. See also xiangqi piece values.
A closer look: the five advisor points and seven elephant points
It helps to picture the exact points. For Red, number the files 1 to 9 from Red's right.
Advisors can only stand on the palace points of files 4, 5 and 6: the corners on files 4 and 6 on the back rank and the third rank of the palace, and the center of the palace on file 5. At the start, both advisors stand on the back-rank corners. The move A4+5 or A6+5 brings one to the center, the most common advisor move in the whole game.
Elephants can only stand on files 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9: the back rank on files 3 and 7, the third line on files 1, 5 and 9, and the river bank on files 3 and 7. The move E3+5 or E7+5 brings an elephant to the point in front of the general, where it connects with the other elephant and protects the center.
Knowing these points by heart makes it much easier to judge defensive positions at a glance: you can see immediately which points your defenders can reach in one move and which are forever out of their reach.
Frequently asked questions
Can an advisor leave the palace?
No. Advisors stay inside the palace for the whole game, on five possible points.
Can an elephant cross the river?
No. Elephants stay in their own half, on seven possible points.
Are advisors worth the same as elephants?
They are usually valued similarly. Which is more useful depends on the attacking pieces you face.
Should beginners move their defenders early?
Only with a purpose. Most early moves should develop horses, chariots and cannons.
