---
title: "Is There En Passant in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "No. Soldiers move one point at a time with no double first step, so the situation en passant exists to correct never arises."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/is-there-en-passant-in-xiangqi
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# Is there en passant 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
>
> **No.** En passant exists in chess to patch a side effect of the pawn's optional double first move. The xiangqi soldier has **no double step** — it always moves exactly one point — so there is nothing to patch and no such rule.

## The special cases xiangqi does not have

- No en passant.
- No castling — the general never leaves the palace.
- No promotion — a soldier gains sideways movement at the river and nothing afterwards.
- No double-step opening move of any kind.

Xiangqi has meaningfully fewer exceptions than chess.

## The ones it does have

The cannon's screen, the horse's blocked leg, the elephant's blocked eye, the flying general rule, and the repetition adjudication. Four of the five are restrictions on movement rather than extra moves, which is why the rules feel simpler to learn even though the board is bigger.

## Related questions

Is there promotion in xiangqi?

No. Reaching the last rank gives a soldier nothing extra.

Why do soldiers not have a double step?

They start one rank behind the river with gaps between them; the opening tempo problem the double step solves in chess does not exist here.

## Related xiangqi resources

How the soldier moves

Forward only, until it crosses the river

Xiangqi vs chess

What carries over from western chess, and what does not

Xiangqi rules

The complete reference, rule by rule

## Try it on a real board

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