How do a chariot and cannon work together?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
They divide the work: the chariot controls open lines and the cannon fires across occupied ones. Between them they cover both states a file can be in, which is why chariot-and-cannon is the standard attacking pair and why a full defence of two advisors and two elephants is specifically calibrated against it.
The classic arrangement
A cannon on the central file aimed at the general, and a chariot swinging to an adjacent file or onto the rank in front of the palace. The defender cannot block both: interposing against the cannon adds a screen, but interposing against the chariot needs a piece that the cannon then shoots.
What stops it
Advisors. Most cannon mates need a specific palace point to be empty, and an advisor fills it. That is why an attack of this shape usually starts by removing an advisor, often at the cost of a soldier — and why the defender guards them so carefully.
Related questions
Which should lead the attack?
Usually the cannon takes the central file first, because it can do so in one move; the chariot needs a line opened.
Is chariot and cannon enough to win?
Against a broken defence, usually. Against two advisors and two elephants it is often held.
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