--- title: "Can a Soldier Check the General in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master" description: "Yes. A soldier checks the general from directly in front of it, or from the side once it has crossed the river." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/can-a-soldier-check-the-general updated: 2026-09-22 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # Can a soldier give check 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.** A soldier attacks the point directly in front of it, and — once across the river — the points to either side as well. A crossed soldier standing beside or in front of the general is giving check, and a soldier inside the enemy palace is one of the most dangerous pieces on the board. ## Why a soldier in the palace is so strong It attacks a palace point that the general needs, it cannot be driven away by attacking it (it is worth almost nothing), and it can only be dealt with by capturing it — which often means moving a defender away from somewhere it was needed. Several standard mates are chariot-plus-soldier, where the soldier covers exactly one escape point and the chariot does the rest. ## Getting one there Push soldiers toward the palace, not toward the edge. A soldier on the last rank in a corner can only shuffle sideways and is effectively dead, while the same soldier two files inward may be a mating piece. ## Related questions Can an uncrossed soldier give check? Only from directly in front, and it would have to be deep in enemy territory — which means it has crossed. In practice checks come from crossed soldiers. Can the general capture a checking soldier? Yes, if it is adjacent and undefended. Which is why attacking soldiers need support. ## Related xiangqi resources How the soldier moves Forward only, until it crosses the river Soldier endgames Why a crossed soldier is worth double Attacking the palace How xiangqi attacks are built ## Try it on a real board Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.