How many pieces does each side start with 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
Sixteen pieces each, thirty-two on the board altogether: one general, two advisors, two elephants, two horses, two chariots, two cannons, and five soldiers. That is one fewer per side than chess, because xiangqi has no piece that plays the role of the queen, only the paired officers and the cannons in its place.
Where the count differs from chess
Chess gives each side 16 pieces too, but split differently: eight pawns against xiangqi's five soldiers, and a queen and bishops that xiangqi has no equivalent for, balanced by the cannon, which chess has no equivalent for either. The totals match; the composition does not.
Why five soldiers rather than more
Soldiers start spread across alternating files with gaps between them, covering ground rather than forming a solid wall. Five is enough to contest the whole width of the board without crowding the cannons, which need those gaps to have open lines from the first move.
Related questions
Does either side start with an extra piece?
No. The armies are perfectly symmetrical in composition, though red always moves first.
Which piece has only one copy?
Only the general. Every other piece type comes in a pair, except the five soldiers.
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