--- title: "Which Xiangqi Pieces Can Jump? Only One, and Only to Capture" description: "Only the cannon jumps, and only when capturing, over exactly one piece. The horse and elephant look like jumpers but are blocked." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/which-xiangqi-pieces-can-jump-over-other-pieces updated: 2026-09-29 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # Which xiangqi pieces can jump over other pieces? These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing. > Direct answer > > Only the **cannon**, and only when it **captures**: it jumps over **exactly one piece** of either colour and takes the first enemy piece beyond it. It can never jump two pieces, and it can never jump when making an ordinary move. Every other piece, including the horse and the elephant, is **blocked** by anything in its path. ## The cannon's one jump Moving without capturing, a cannon slides like a chariot and needs a completely clear line. Capturing, it needs one piece in between, called the screen. No screen, no capture; two pieces in between, no capture either. So "can a cannon jump over more than one piece?" has a firm answer: no. Details are on [how the cannon moves](https://xiangqimaster.com/rules/how-the-cannon-moves). ## The pieces that look like jumpers but are not The **horse** makes an L-shaped move like a chess knight, but it passes through the point next to it first, and a piece there blocks the move. The **elephant** moves two points diagonally, and a piece on the midpoint blocks it. Chess players get caught by both. See [why the horse cannot jump](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/can-a-horse-jump-over-pieces-in-xiangqi) and [the elephant's eye](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-the-elephant-eye). ## The rest The chariot slides along clear lines and stops at the first piece. The general, advisor and soldier move only one point at a time, so there is nothing to jump. The flying-general rule is not a jump either: it forbids the two generals facing each other on a file with nothing between them. ## Related questions Does it matter what colour the cannon's screen is? No. The screen can be your piece or the opponent's, and any piece type. Can the cannon capture the piece it jumps over? No. It captures the first enemy piece beyond the screen, never the screen itself. ## Related xiangqi resources How the cannon moves Captures only by jumping exactly one screen How the horse moves An L-shape that can be blocked — it never jumps How the elephant moves Two points diagonally, never crosses the river ## Try it on a real board Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.