Is it bad to push the central soldier early?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.
Direct answer
Usually a mistake. The central soldier stands on the file your own general sits on, and pushing it makes it a target: once it is traded off or lost, that file is open — which is exactly the line an enemy Central Cannon wants. Soldiers never come back, so the weakness is permanent.
Push the 3rd or 7th file soldiers instead
Those are the ones that free a horse, which is the actual reason to move a soldier in the opening. That is 仙人指路 when played on move one, and it is a useful move in most systems.
When the central push is right
In some systems, once the central file is already contested and the push gains a tempo or opens a line for your own cannon. That is a concrete calculation, not a general plan — and if you cannot say what it achieves, it is the wrong move.
Related questions
Does it lose material?
Not immediately. It creates a long-term weakness, which is worse, because you cannot undo it.
Should I defend the central soldier?
Yes, early, and preferably with a move that develops — which is what Screen Horses does.
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