---
title: "How to Break Out of a Flying General Pin · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Move your own general off the file, or add a second piece to the line. Both make the pinned piece no longer the only thing between the generals."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-you-break-a-flying-general-pin
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How do you escape a flying general pin?

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
>
> Two reliable ways, and one that does not exist. **Move your general off the file** — there is usually a spare point in the palace that nobody thought to look for. Or **put a second piece on the line**, so neither piece is the only thing keeping the generals apart. What you cannot do is capture the pinning piece: it is the enemy general, safe in its palace.

## Moving the general is usually cheapest

It costs one move and no material, and the general has up to nine points. Players fixate on rescuing the pinned piece and forget that the piece doing the pinning has a location too — and that your own general is the one you control.

## Or make the pin irrelevant

If the pin costs you a horse in three moves and you have a mate in two, it is not a problem. Counter-threats are a legitimate answer to any pin, and against this one they are often the only fast answer available.

## Related questions

Can the pinned piece capture something?

No. Every move it has, including captures, would expose the generals and is illegal.

Can I block with an advisor?

Yes, if the advisor can legally reach a point on that file inside the palace. It is a perfectly good second piece.

## Related xiangqi resources

The pin

The piece that cannot move

The flying general

Generals may never face each other down an open file

How the advisor moves

One point diagonally, five points in total

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