Can a cannon capture the general 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
In principle, yes: the general is just another piece to a cannon, capturable with a single screen in between like anything else. In practice it never actually occurs, because the rules require you to respond to check immediately, and a position where the general could be captured next move is checkmate, which ends the game first.
Why the capture never happens on the board
The instant a cannon (or anything else) threatens the general with no legal reply available, the game is over by checkmate. So while a cannon's checking mechanism is identical to threatening any other piece, you will never see a general physically removed from the board in a properly officiated game.
What this means for calculating mate
When you are working out whether a cannon delivers mate, you are really asking two questions: does it threaten the general right now, across exactly one screen, and does the defender have a legal reply. If both are answered correctly, the position is mate and the capture is never made. See how checkmate works for the general pattern.
Related questions
Does the general get removed from the board at checkmate?
No. The game simply ends; the general stays on its square.
Can a cannon check the general with no screen?
No. Without exactly one screen it threatens nothing, so it cannot give check at all.
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