---
title: "How Does the Advisor Move in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "The advisor moves one point diagonally and never leaves the palace, so it can only ever reach five points."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-does-the-advisor-move-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 does the advisor move 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
>
> One point **diagonally**, and never outside the palace. That leaves exactly **five reachable points**: the four corners of the palace and its centre. The advisor is the least mobile piece in the game and exists only to shield the general.

## Why the drawn diagonals exist

The X marked inside each palace shows the advisor's moves and nothing else. The general does not use them. An advisor in a corner can only go to the centre; from the centre it can reach any corner.

## The second advisor is worth more than the first

Two advisors hold endgames that one advisor loses outright — a lone chariot against a full defence is a standard draw, but usually wins once an advisor is gone. That asymmetry is why strong players happily give a soldier to remove one.

It also cuts the other way: an advisor on the wrong point removes your own general's escape square, which is exactly how 重炮 works.

## Related questions

Can an advisor leave the palace?

Never, under any circumstances.

Can an advisor move orthogonally?

No. Diagonal only — the opposite of the general.

## Related xiangqi resources

How the advisor moves

One point diagonally, five points in total

Advisors and elephants

The defence that decides most endgames

The double cannon mate

重炮 — two cannons on one file

## Try it on a real board

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