Xiangqi tactics questions

術 What xiangqi tactics should I learn first?The horse fork, the pin, discovered attacks, and the three named mates: 馬後炮, 重炮 and 雙車錯. 術 What is a horse fork in xiangqi?A horse fork attacks two pieces at once from a single point. It is the most common material-winning tactic in the game. 術 What is a discovered attack in xiangqi?Moving one piece so another attacks. With cannons it works backwards: adding a piece to a line creates the attack instead of blocking it. 術 What is the strongest pin in xiangqi?A piece alone between the two generals cannot move at all. Every move it has would expose the generals to each other and is illegal. 術 What is 雙車錯 (the two chariot mate)?雙車錯 is two chariots mating alone: one checks along a line while the other covers the general's escape rank. 術 How do I get better at xiangqi tactics?Do puzzles in volume, because the point is pattern recognition. Then check the cannon lines and horse legs in every position you calculate. 術 Why do I keep missing tactics in xiangqi?Usually because you are not checking what the opponent's last move attacked. Most missed tactics are failures to look, not failures to calculate. 術 When should you sacrifice material in xiangqi?Most commonly to remove an advisor or to open a line into the palace. Both convert material into attacking speed against a general that cannot run. 術 What is a tempo in xiangqi and why does it matter?A tempo is one move's worth of time. In sharp symmetrical positions the side moving first gets every tactic first, which is often the whole game. 術 How many pieces do you need to attack in xiangqi?At least two. One attacker is met by one defender and achieves nothing, and nearly every mating pattern uses exactly two. 術 What is a double check in xiangqi?Two pieces giving check at once, usually from a discovered attack. It cannot be blocked or answered by a capture — the general must move. 術 How do you defend an attack on your palace?Trade an attacker, keep both advisors, give the general a spare point, and count the attackers instead of answering threats one at a time. 術 Do skewers exist in xiangqi?Yes, mostly with chariots: attack a valuable piece so that moving it exposes a lesser one behind. Cannon skewers work differently. 術 Which tactics are unique to xiangqi?Screen-based cannon tactics, the flying general pin, and leg-blocking against the horse. None has a western chess equivalent. 術 How do you spot a mate in two in xiangqi?Count the general's available points, then look for a move that covers the last of them while a second piece gives check. 術 How do I find a sacrifice that actually works?Count the mate first, then find the sacrifice that gets you there. A sacrifice you cannot justify with a concrete follow-up is a guess, not a tactic. 術 What is a clearance sacrifice in xiangqi?Giving up a piece to vacate a square or line another piece needs. Common with chariots clearing a file for a second attacker to use. 術 What is an interference tactic in xiangqi?Placing a piece between a defender and what it protects, cutting the defensive line. With a cannon, the same move can create a new screen instead. 術 What is overloading a defender in xiangqi?Giving one defending piece two jobs it cannot do at once. Attacking the second job wins whichever one it abandons to cover the other. 術 How do I use a decoy to win material in xiangqi?Force a piece onto a square where a second tactic then wins it or something else, usually with a check or a capture it cannot decline. 術 What is a windmill tactic in xiangqi?A repeating discovered check where the front piece captures on each swing, forcing the general back and forth while material disappears from the board. 術 How do I calculate a forcing sequence without blundering?Check every capture, check and threat at each step, including the opponent's, and confirm the final position rather than stopping once you see one win. 術 What is a zwischenzug (in-between move) in xiangqi?Playing a forcing move before making an expected recapture or reply, changing the position first so the eventual response is worse for the opponent. 術 How do I defend against a horse fork?Block a leg before the fork lands, defend the more valuable piece and let the lesser one go, or create a bigger counter-threat of your own. 術 What is a desperado piece in xiangqi?A piece that is already lost, so it captures something on its way off the board instead of simply being taken for nothing. 術 How do I spot tactics in a level-material position?Look for undefended or overloaded pieces, loose cannon screens, and forcing checks, since level material does not mean a quiet position. 術 What is the difference between a threat and a tactic?A threat is what a piece could do next move if ignored. A tactic is a forcing sequence that actually wins something right now. Every tactic starts as a threat. 術 How do I train tactical vision with a real board and pieces?Set positions up by hand rather than only on a screen. Physically placing the pieces slows you down just enough to notice the pattern properly. 術 How do I use a check to gain a tempo?A check forces a reply, so if the checking piece also improves your position, you effectively get a free extra move once the general responds. 術 What is a removing-the-defender tactic in xiangqi?Capture or deflect the one piece guarding a target, then take the target itself. It is the tactic behind most advisor and screen sacrifices. 術 How do I know if a combination is sound before playing it?Calculate to a position you can evaluate, check the opponent's best defence rather than their easiest mistake, and confirm your own king safety at the end. 術 What is a trapped piece in xiangqi and how do I exploit one?A piece with no safe square to move to. Horses on the rim and chariots deep in enemy territory are trapped most often; attack them a second time to win them. 術 How do a cannon and chariot combine on the same file?The chariot attacks directly along the file while the cannon attacks through whatever the chariot is not using as a target, each covering what the other cannot.