Xiangqi opening questions

開 What is Screen Horses (屏風馬)?屏風馬 is the main defence to the Central Cannon: both horses defend the central soldier, standing side by side like a folding screen. 開 How many xiangqi openings do I need to know?Two — one for Red and one for Black. Two systems played well beat six systems half remembered. 開 What is the Elephant Opening (飛相局)?飛相局 is 相三進五, moving an elephant to the centre of your own half on move one. It defends the central point and avoids sharp theory. 開 What is 仙人指路 (the Pawn Opening)?仙人指路 is 兵七進一, advancing a soldier one point on move one. It opens a horse path, commits to nothing, and waits. 開 What is 順炮 (same direction cannons)?順炮 is when both players put a cannon on the central file from the same side of the board, giving a symmetrical and very sharp game. 開 What are the opening principles in xiangqi?Develop something new each move, defend the central soldier, open a file for a chariot, and leave advisors and elephants alone. 開 Should I memorise xiangqi opening lines?No. Learn four or five moves and the plan behind them, then learn the rest from your own games — opponents leave theory early anyway. 開 What should Black play against the Central Cannon?Screen Horses is the main answer: 馬8進7 defends the central soldier and develops a piece with the same move. 開 How big is Red's first-move advantage?Real but modest — master databases put Red around 53–56%. It is smaller than White's advantage in chess and invisible below expert level. 開 What is the most common opening in xiangqi?Central Cannon against Screen Horses — 炮二平五 馬8進7 — is the most played opening pairing in the game. 開 What is the difference between 順炮 and 列炮?Which side Black's central cannon comes from. Same side gives 順炮 and a symmetrical game; the other side gives 列炮 and an unbalanced one. 開 Why do I keep losing in the opening?Usually one of three things: moving the same piece repeatedly, leaving both chariots at home, or ignoring a threat while developing. 開 What opening should I play as Red?The Central Cannon if you want to learn attacking play, the Elephant Opening if you want solidity, the Pawn Opening for flexibility. 開 How do I open a file for my chariot?Move the horse or cannon that occupies the file, or advance the soldier on it. Plan which file before you need the piece. 開 Is it bad to push the central soldier early?Usually yes, it is bad. The central soldier shields the point in front of your own general, and pushing it opens the file toward your palace. 開 What is the plan behind a Central Cannon attack?Bring the cannon to the centre, develop a horse to support it, swing a chariot onto an open file, then aim the whole group at one weak point in the palace. 開 How should Black meet the Elephant Opening (飛相局)?Take the centre with your own cannon, or mirror the elephant move for a quiet game. Neither reply is refuted, so pick based on the middlegame you want. 開 What is 反宮馬 (the Reversed Palace Horse)?反宮馬 develops a horse toward its own palace rather than out to screen the central soldier, trading some central control for a flexible structure. 開 Should I develop my horses or my cannons first?Usually the cannon that is going to the centre moves first, since it creates the opening's main threat, then horses follow to support and defend. 開 Why would I send a chariot across the river early?An early crossing chariot pressures undeveloped pieces on the opponent's second and third ranks before they are defended, at the cost of some safety. 開 How do I decide which wing to attack in xiangqi?Attack the side where the opponent has developed fewer defenders, or where your own pieces already point. Do not split your attack between both wings. 開 What is a waiting move in xiangqi and when should I play one?A move that improves a piece or keeps options open without committing to a plan, useful when you would rather see the opponent declare first. 開 Does move order matter more than which opening I play?Often yes. Two players can reach the same named opening by different orders, and the order itself can hand one side a tempo the other never gets back. 開 What do I do against an opening I do not recognise?Fall back on general principles: develop, defend threats, open a file, and leave advisors and elephants alone. Named theory is a shortcut, not a requirement. 開 Should I trade cannons in the opening?Only for a concrete reason. Cannons are strongest with pieces on the board to use as screens, so trading them early usually helps whichever side wanted a quieter game. 開 Where is the best square for a horse in the opening?Usually the point just inside the centre, next to the soldier it can defend, where both legs stay clear and it supports an eventual attack on the palace. 開 How do I know when the opening has ended?Roughly once both chariots have a purpose and every piece bar the advisors and elephants has moved at least once, usually around move ten. 開 What is 單提馬 (the single-horse system)?單提馬 develops only one horse to the edge file, keeping the other horse and both cannons flexible for a plan chosen once the opponent commits. 開 How do I punish a slow move in the opening?Develop faster, aim at the point the slow move left weaker, and bring a second attacker before striking. A tempo advantage only matters if you use it. 開 Can I play the same opening system as both Red and Black?Partly. Some formations, like Screen Horses, work for either colour, but the first move matters enough that most players still keep two separate systems. 開 What happens if I leave both chariots undeveloped for too long?You are playing without your two strongest pieces. Even a material lead rarely survives an attack built while a chariot sits doing nothing on the back rank. 開 How do I transition from the opening into the middlegame?Stop following theory once it runs out, count attackers and defenders around each palace, and pick a plan based on where you or the opponent are weakest. 開 What is the difference between a developing move and an attacking move?A developing move improves a piece with no immediate demand on the opponent. An attacking move creates a threat they must answer. Openings need both.