---
title: "How to Checkmate in Xiangqi · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Attack the general while covering every point it could move to. Because the palace has nine points, two attacking pieces are usually enough."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-you-checkmate-in-xiangqi
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 checkmate 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
>
> Attack the general while **every point it could move to is covered** and the checking piece can be neither captured nor blocked. Because the palace is only nine points — several of them occupied by the defender's own pieces — **two attacking pieces are usually enough**, which is why mating patterns here are so much shorter than in chess.

## The shape every mate shares

One piece attacks the general; the other covers the escape points. That is the whole structure, and it is why the named mates come in pairs of pieces: 馬後炮 (horse and cannon), 重炮 (two cannons), 雙車錯 (two chariots).

If you have one attacker, you do not have an attack — the defender answers with one piece and nothing has happened.

## Do not forget your own general

In simplified positions your general covers the file it stands on. That is frequently the second "attacker" that turns a check into a mate, and it is free.

## Related questions

What is the minimum material to mate?

A single chariot, with your general's help. A lone horse or lone cannon cannot. See [basic checkmates](https://xiangqimaster.com/endgames/basic-checkmates).

Is stalemate also a win?

Yes. A player with no legal move loses, so smothering counts as a win too.

## Related xiangqi resources

Check and checkmate

Including why stalemate is a loss

Checkmate patterns

The named mates worth knowing

Basic checkmates

Mating with ordinary material

## Try it on a real board

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