---
title: "What Is 重炮 (Chong Pao), the Double Cannon Mate? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "重炮 is two cannons stacked on the same file as the general, with the front one acting as the rear one's screen."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-chong-pao
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# What is 重炮 (double 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
>
> **重炮** — "stacked cannons" — is two cannons on the same line as the enemy general, one behind the other. The **front cannon is the screen** the rear one needs, so the rear cannon gives check straight through it. It is mate when the front cannon is defended and the general cannot step aside.

## The three conditions

- **The front cannon is defended.** Otherwise the general simply captures it.
- **No gap to interpose into.** The front cannon sits immediately in front of the general.
- **The general cannot move sideways** — usually because its own advisors occupy those points.

The irony of the pattern is that the defender's own advisors are what make it work.

## Where it comes from

Most 重炮 mates grow out of an ordinary Central Cannon position: one cannon is already on the central file, and the second swings across to join it. That is why the defensive alarm is simple — if an enemy cannon is on your general's file and a second one can reach that file, count the moves before you do anything else.

## Related questions

How is it different from 馬後炮?

Both use a screen. In 馬後炮 the screen is a horse that also covers escape points; in 重炮 the screen is the second cannon and the defender's own pieces block the escapes.

Can the general take the front cannon?

Only if it is undefended — which is why defending it is the first condition.

## Related xiangqi resources

The double cannon mate

重炮 — two cannons on one file

Checkmate patterns

The named mates worth knowing

The Central Cannon

The most played first move in the game

## Try it on a real board

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