---
title: "How Many Points Can a Cannon Reach from the Center of the Board? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Up to seventeen points on a completely empty board: eight along its rank, and nine along its file, since the board is nine files wide and ten ranks tall."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-many-points-can-a-cannon-reach-from-the-center-of-the-board
updated: 2026-09-23
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How many points can a cannon reach from the center of the board?

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
>
> On an otherwise **empty board**, a cannon standing on a central point can reach up to **seventeen points**: all eight remaining points along its rank, since the board is nine files wide, and all nine remaining points along its file, since the board is ten ranks tall. In a real game, other pieces reduce that sharply and also create the screens it needs to capture.

## Why the raw number overstates its opening strength

Seventeen points of pure movement sounds like a lot, but early in the game most of that reach is blocked by other pieces, and blocked lines are exactly what a cannon needs anyway, since it captures by jumping a single piece rather than sliding freely. Its true threat range depends entirely on where screens happen to sit.

## How this compares to a chariot

A chariot on the same central point has the identical seventeen-point reach on an empty board, but every one of those points is a genuine attacking threat if occupied by an enemy piece, since a chariot simply captures whatever it reaches. The cannon's reach and its threat range are two different things; the chariot's are the same thing.

## Related questions

Does a cannon in a corner reach fewer points?

Yes, corner and edge points reduce both the rank and file lengths available, the same as for a chariot.

Is seventeen points the most any piece can reach?

It ties the chariot for the most of any piece on an empty board; no other xiangqi piece reaches that many points from one square.

## Related xiangqi resources

How the cannon moves

Captures only by jumping exactly one screen

How the chariot moves

Like a rook, and the strongest piece on the board

Board setup

The board, the river, the palace, and where the 32 pieces go

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.