---
title: "What Is a Cannon Fork in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "A cannon fork is a single cannon move that creates two capture threats at once, typically by landing on a line where two different pieces each sit one screen away."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-a-cannon-fork-in-xiangqi
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# What is a cannon fork in xiangqi?

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
>
> A cannon fork is one move that creates **two separate capture threats simultaneously**, using two different lines from the same cannon. It usually happens when a cannon moves to a point that is exactly one screen away from two valuable pieces on two different lines, and the defender cannot save both.

## Why cannons fork differently from horses

A horse forks by reaching a single square that attacks two pieces directly. A cannon forks by reaching a square from which two separate lines, each already holding a single screen, point at two separate targets. The mechanism is different but the result, an unanswerable double threat, is the same idea covered generally in the site's [fork tactics](https://xiangqimaster.com/tactics/horse-fork).

## Spotting one before it happens

Before moving a cannon to a seemingly ordinary square, check every line it will control from there, not just the one you intended. A fork often looks like a routine repositioning move until you notice the second line was already primed with a screen.

## Related questions

Is a cannon fork the same as a battery?

No. A battery is two pieces working together on one line; a fork is one piece threatening on two separate lines at once.

Can you fork with a cannon that has no screen on either line?

No, both lines need their own single screen already in place, or the cannon is threatening nothing on that line.

## Related xiangqi resources

The horse fork

One horse, two targets

Cannon tactics

Screens, batteries and discoveries

How the cannon moves

Captures only by jumping exactly one screen

## Try it on a real board

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