--- title: "What Counts as a Cannon Screen in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master" description: "Any single piece of either colour, of any type, standing between the cannon and its target. Exactly one is required — no more, no fewer." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-counts-as-a-screen-for-a-cannon updated: 2026-09-22 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # What counts as a screen for a cannon? 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 > > **Any single piece, of either colour and any type.** Your own soldier, your opponent's chariot, an advisor — all work identically. What matters is the **count, not the ownership**: exactly one piece between the cannon and its target, and the target is the first enemy piece immediately beyond it. ## The count is the whole rule - **Zero** pieces in between — the cannon can move along the line but cannot capture anything on it. - **Exactly one** — it captures the first enemy piece beyond the screen. - **Two or more** — no capture at all. The screen itself can never be captured by that cannon; it captures past it. ## Why using enemy pieces matters Because the defender supplies screens whether they mean to or not. A defender who leaves their elephants at home is handing the attacking cannon exactly what it needs, and the standard defensive idea — advance or trade the pieces a cannon could jump — falls straight out of that. ## Related questions Can my own general be a screen? Yes. Any piece works, including either general. Can a cannon capture the screen? Not by jumping. It could capture it as an ordinary move only if the line to it were clear — which it is not, since the screen is on it. ## Related xiangqi resources How the cannon moves Captures only by jumping exactly one screen Cannon tactics Screens, batteries and discoveries Cannon endgames The piece that fades as the board empties ## Try it on a real board Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.