For Chess Players
Chess instincts cause predictable xiangqi mistakes: blocked horses, cannon screens, pinned pieces between the generals. The ten most common and their fixes.
For Chess Players
The cannon moves like a rook but captures by jumping over exactly one piece. How it works, why it is so strong early, and the counting habit that tames it.
Xiangqi Rules
Exactly how each xiangqi piece moves and captures: general, advisor, elephant, horse, chariot, cannon and soldier, plus the blocking rules that trip up beginner
Checkmate Patterns
Two cannons stacked on the centre file can mate a general that still has every advisor and elephant. How the pattern works, why blocking fails, how to build it.
For Chess Players
Forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks all exist in xiangqi, but the horse leg, the cannon screen and the flying general reshape every one. A guide for che
The Pieces
The cannon (Pháo) moves like a chariot but captures by jumping one screen. How it works, why it shines early, and how to defend against cannon attacks.
Endgames
In the endgame the cannon runs out of screens. Why cannon and general alone cannot beat a bare general, and how keeping one advisor changes everything.
Checkmate Patterns
A horse on the enemy general's file with a cannon behind it gives a check that cannot be escaped. The pattern Vietnamese players call Mã hậu Pháo, and how to re
Beginners
The twelve mistakes almost every new xiangqi player makes, grouped into rule errors, opening habits and in-game blind spots, with a concrete fix for each.