---
title: "How Do You Block a Cannon in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Yes, in two opposite ways: block its movement with any piece on a clear line, or neutralise its capture by adding a second screen or removing the first."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/can-a-cannon-be-blocked
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# Can a cannon be blocked in xiangqi?

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
>
> Yes, and in **two opposite ways**. To stop it *moving*, put any piece on its clear line, exactly as against a chariot. To stop it *capturing*, either **add a second piece** to the line — one screen is required, two is too many — or **remove the screen it is using**.

## The defence people miss

Removing the screen. Everyone thinks about blocking and capturing; far fewer think about the piece in the middle. If an enemy cannon threatens you across a screen, look at the screen first — moving it away is often the cheapest answer on the board, and it is frequently one of your own pieces.

## Blocking with your own general

In bare endgames the general is a legitimate blocker and screen-remover. It is safe once nothing can attack it, and a general stepping onto a line to become a second screen can switch off a cannon's check entirely.

## Related questions

Does adding a piece ever help the cannon?

Yes — if the line was empty, your new piece becomes the screen and switches the cannon *on*. Count before you interpose.

Can I block a cannon's check?

Only by making the screen count wrong. A normal block on a clear line stops movement, not a capture that needs one screen.

## Related xiangqi resources

How the cannon moves

Captures only by jumping exactly one screen

Cannon tactics

Screens, batteries and discoveries

Cannon endgames

The piece that fades as the board empties

## Try it on a real board

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