---
title: "Using the Enemy General's Own Position to Block Their Pieces · Xiangqi Master"
description: "The defending general can accidentally sit in the way of its own chariot, cannon screen or horse leg, and a good attacker looks for ways to force it onto exactly that square."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/using-the-enemy-generals-own-position-against-it
updated: 2026-09-23
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# Can I use the enemy general's own position to block their pieces?

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
>
> **Yes, and it is a genuinely useful pattern to look for.** The defending general, like any other piece, can end up sitting directly on a square its own chariot, cannon or horse needed, quietly disabling one of its own defenders. A good attacker looks for ways to force the general onto exactly that square, turning the opponent's own king safety move into self-obstruction.

## Why this happens more than you might expect

Because the general has only nine points to move within, it frequently has to choose a square for safety that happens to also sit on a file or a horse's leg one of its own pieces needed. A defender focused purely on escaping check does not always notice the second-order cost of the specific square chosen.

## How to actually engineer it

Before forcing the general to move, check which of its own pieces would be blocked by each of its available squares, and steer your checks toward the one that costs the defender the most, not simply the one that is legal. This is the mirror image of watching your *own* general for the same problem, covered in [defending your palace](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-defend-against-an-attack-on-my-palace).

## Related questions

Does this only apply to the general blocking a horse?

No, it applies to any of its own pieces, a chariot's file, a cannon's line, most commonly, though a horse's leg is the easiest case to spot.

Is this something beginners should actively look for?

It is a slightly more advanced pattern; get comfortable with basic checks and escape-square counting first, then add this as a refinement.

## Related xiangqi resources

How the general moves

One point orthogonally, never leaves the palace

Xiangqi tactics

Forks, pins and discovered attacks

The flying general

Generals may never face each other down an open file

## Try it on a real board

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