---
title: "Should You Specialise as Red or Black, or Aim for Both Equally? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Aim for reasonable competence with both eventually, since you play both roughly equally often, but it is fine to feel stronger on one side while that develops."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/should-i-specialise-as-red-or-black
updated: 2026-09-23
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# Should I specialise as Red or as Black, or aim to develop equally strong with both?

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
>
> **Aim for reasonable competence with both over time**, since a real game gives you each colour roughly equally often, but it is completely normal to feel noticeably stronger on one side while that develops, and there is no need to force artificial balance before it happens naturally.

## Why lopsided strength is common and not a problem to panic about

Red's Central Cannon and Black's Screen Horses are simply different skills, attacking with the initiative versus defending accurately under pressure, and most players naturally find one more comfortable earlier than the other. This is a normal stage, not a flaw, and it tends to even out with enough games on both sides.

## When to actively invest in the weaker side

If a training log shows one colour is consistently costing you more games than the other, that is worth deliberately prioritising, in the same spirit as [deciding what to study next](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-decide-what-to-study-next). Otherwise, ordinary alternating play tends to close the gap on its own without needing a dedicated plan.

## Related questions

Is it fine to just accept being permanently stronger with one colour?

To some degree, yes, many strong players do have a colour they feel more comfortable with, but a large, persistent gap is usually worth addressing.

Does this affect which openings I should learn first?

Not directly; the usual recommendation of learning one system per colour applies regardless of which one currently feels stronger.

## Related xiangqi resources

The Central Cannon

The most played first move in the game

Screen Horses

The main defence to the Central Cannon

How to improve

What to study, in what order

## Try it on a real board

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