Xiangqi openings

The named first moves, and what each one wants

Why openings matter here

Red moves first and, unlike Western chess, that advantage is large and concrete: the opening is essentially an argument about whether red can convert the first move into a real attack before black finishes developing. Almost every classical line is one side committing to that plan, and the other side answering it. Understanding four or five of them covers most games you will ever play.

Red's openings

中炮 · Central Cannon

Red swings a cannon to the central file, where it aims straight down the board at the soldier shielding black's general. It is the most popular opening in xiangqi, and the most direct: the cannon takes aim at the soldier shielding my general — direct, attacking play.

The threat is immediate, so black cannot drift. The classical reply is Screen Horses, and the resulting fight is the main highway of the whole game.

飞相局 · Flying Elephant

Red opens an elephant to the centre instead of a cannon — a solid, flexible setup that strengthens the center before committing to a plan. It gives up the immediate initiative in exchange for a position with no weaknesses and every option still open.

Players who dislike the sharp, heavily analysed cannon lines often live here. Against an opponent who only knows how to attack, it is a quietly frustrating choice.

仙人指路 · Immortal Points the Way

A single soldier step forward — a probing soldier push that opens a path for the horse while hiding intentions. The name is the best in chess: an immortal points down the road without saying where it leads.

The point is deferral. Red gains a tempo and a horse route while revealing nothing, and chooses a plan only after seeing how black commits.

起马局 · Horse Opening

Red develops a horse toward the centre first, keeping every plan available. Like the Flying Elephant it is a waiting move, but it develops a real attacking piece while it waits, and can transpose into a cannon attack a move later.

Black's replies

屏风马 · Screen Horses

Black brings both horses to the points either side of the central soldier, so they stand like a folding screen: my horses shield the central soldier side by side — a resilient defense against the central cannon.

This is the classical answer to the Central Cannon and probably the most important formation in the game. The two horses defend each other, cover the centre, and give black a structure that holds while red's attack runs out of steam. If you learn one black setup, learn this one.

中炮 · Central Cannon (black)

Black declines to defend and mirrors instead: I answer in kind — both cannons stare down the center, promising sharp tactics. Two cannons on the same file, aimed at each other through the middle of the board, produce the sharpest positions in xiangqi.

It is a fighting choice rather than a safe one. Black accepts that red is a move ahead in the same race, betting on being the better tactician.

How to actually learn them

• Play them, don't memorise them. The coach names each opening as it appears on the board and explains what it wants, which sticks far better than a list.
• Pick one red opening and one black setup. Central Cannon and Screen Horses will carry you a long way before you need anything else.
• Learn the plan, not the moves. Every opening here is a sentence about what the position wants. Once you can say that sentence, the moves follow.