What is the hardest endgame to play 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
Horse and cannon against two advisors and two elephants is the standard difficult case — often drawn, and winning only with precise technique, because the cannon needs screens the attacker does not control and the horse can be blocked by the defender's own general.
Why it is hard
Both attacking pieces have conditions attached. The cannon needs exactly one screen, and in a palace full of advisors the count keeps changing. The horse needs clear legs, and the defending general is very good at blocking them. Neither piece is reliable on its own, and coordinating two conditional pieces is the whole difficulty.
Where to start instead
Learn the simple ones first — chariot against a bare general, cannon and advisor against a bare general — and learn the material table. Knowing that a lone cannon cannot mate will win you more games than mastering horse-and-cannon against a full defence ever will.
Related questions
Is chariot against a full defence hard?
No — it is a known draw, which makes it easy. The difficulty is accepting it.
Do I need to study composed endgame studies?
Not early. The practical material table matters far more.
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