What is overloading a defender 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
Giving a single defending piece two responsibilities it cannot cover at the same time. If one advisor, or one chariot, is the only thing standing between the opponent and two different problems, attacking the second problem wins something regardless of which one they choose to save.
Spotting an overloaded piece
Look for a defender doing more than one job: an advisor that is both the only cover for a mating point and the only piece stopping a capture elsewhere, or a chariot defending two separate pieces on the same rank. That piece is a target for a second threat, not just the first.
Adding the second threat
The overload only pays off once you actually create the competing demand. Spotting an overloaded piece and doing nothing about it wastes the observation; the move that follows should force a choice, not just note that one exists.
Related questions
Is this the same as a fork?
Different target: a fork attacks two pieces at once, overloading exploits one piece already doing two defensive jobs.
Which pieces get overloaded most often?
Advisors, because there are only two of them covering several important palace points at once.
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