How do I stop missing cannon threats?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.
Direct answer
Make it mechanical: after your opponent moves, look at every cannon — theirs and yours — and count the pieces on the line between it and anything valuable. One piece means a real threat; zero means none, and two means neither piece can safely leave the line. It takes two seconds per cannon and catches the overwhelming majority of what beginners miss.
The scan, in order
- Their cannons facing your general. Count the pieces in between. One is check; two means neither may leave the line.
- Their cannons facing your chariots. The chariot is worth 9; it is the piece a cannon most wants.
- Your own cannons. Did their last move add or remove one of your screens?
The move that creates threats from nothing
Remember that a cannon threat can appear without the cannon moving — because any piece arriving on the line becomes the screen. So a quiet-looking developing move by your opponent can switch a cannon on three files away. That is the threat that gets missed most.
Related questions
Do I need to check my own cannons too?
Yes — both for threats you have gained and for screens you are about to remove with your own next move.
Does this get faster?
Yes. After a few weeks it stops being a conscious count and becomes recognition.
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