The Pieces
A practical guide to xiangqi piece values: chariot, cannon, horse, elephant, advisor and soldier, how their worth shifts from opening to endgame, and fair trade
Endgames
Being ahead is not the same as winning. Seven practical principles, from your general's file to guarding your defenders, for converting xiangqi endgames.
Middlegame
Every xiangqi trade changes the game. When to exchange and when to avoid it: material, activity, defenders, cannon versus horse, and heading for a winning endga
For Chess Players
In xiangqi a player with no legal move loses; there is no stalemate draw. How this rule wins endgames that chess would call drawn, and how to avoid it.
The Pieces
Soldiers (Tốt) move one step forward, then sideways too after crossing the river. How they gain value, where they belong, and how to use them in the endgame.
Endgames
One soldier and a general can beat a bare general, unless the soldier has run to the last rank. Why that is, and the mistake that throws away easy wins.
Xiangqi Rules
Xiangqi forbids endless checking and endless chasing by one side. The core ideas behind the repetition rules, the common cases, and how casual games handle them
The Pieces
The xiangqi horse (Mã) moves like a knight but can be hobbled. How the leg block works, where horses belong, and how to use them in attack and endgames.
Endgames
Why horse and general beat a bare general, why a horse can never attack two neighbouring points at once, and when horse endings end in a draw.
Checkmate Patterns
The rule that generals may never face each other turns your general into an attacker. The mates and no-move wins that use it, and how to defend against them.
Endgames
Chariot and general against a bare general is the first endgame to master. The three-step method: confine the general, take a file, then check or leave no move.
Endgames
A lone chariot beats a general with two advisors or two elephants, but usually not the full set of four defenders. Here is why, and the practical plans for both