---
title: "What to Learn First in Xiangqi (and What to Skip) · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Learn the seven piece moves, then basic checkmates, then tactics. Openings come last, and most beginners do this list backwards."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-should-i-learn-first-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 should I learn first 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
>
> In this order: the **seven piece moves**, then **basic checkmates**, then **tactics**, then endgames, and **openings last**. Most players do it backwards, spend months on opening theory, and keep losing the same games to the same tactics.

## Why checkmates come second

Because you cannot win a won game without them, and they take an afternoon. Start with a lone chariot against a bare general, which needs your own general's help — that one exercise teaches the flying general rule better than reading about it.

## Why openings come last

Openings are not the point; the middlegame they hand you is. You only learn that by reaching the same positions repeatedly. Four or five moves and the idea behind them is enough until you are well past beginner.

The exception is knowing how to *answer* the Central Cannon, because you will meet it constantly. Screen Horses is that answer.

## Related questions

How much should I play versus study?

Roughly one game reviewed for every two or three played. Puzzles are the exception — volume works there.

Do I need books?

Not at first. Play, review your losses and work through the [tactical patterns](https://xiangqimaster.com/tactics). Books become useful once you know what you are bad at.

## Related xiangqi resources

How to improve

What to study, in what order

Basic checkmates

Mating with ordinary material

Xiangqi tactics

Forks, pins and discovered attacks

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.