How do you make a plan 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
Planning in xiangqi is counting, not intuition. Pick a target — usually a line into the palace or a specific advisor — then count how many pieces you can bring to bear in three moves against how many the defender can bring back. If your number is larger, that is the plan.
Why it is more concrete than chess
The general cannot move house. There is no castling, no running to the other wing, no hiding — so a plan is never "create vague pressure", it is "cover these specific points out of nine". You can literally count whether a plan works.
The order of operations
Bring the pieces first, open the line second, strike last. Attacks fail most often because the striking move came before the second attacker arrived, which hands the defender exactly the tempo they needed.
Related questions
What if I have no plan?
Improve your worst-placed piece. It is never wrong, and it usually reveals the plan.
Should I always attack?
No. If the count says the attack is not ready, improve pieces and trade off their attackers instead.
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