---
title: "Horse or Cannon: Which Is Worth More in Xiangqi? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "In the opening the cannon is worth slightly more because the board is full of screens. By the endgame the horse is worth more, for the same reason reversed."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/why-is-the-horse-worth-less-than-the-cannon
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# Why is the horse worth less than the cannon at the start?

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
>
> Because a full board is full of **screens**. In the opening a cannon attacks from a distance, is hard to approach, and always has something to jump — so it rates about **4.5** against the horse's **4**. By the endgame the ranking reverses, for exactly the same reason inverted.

## The crossover

Every trade removes a potential screen and removes a potential leg-blocker at the same time. So the cannon weakens and the horse strengthens with every exchange, and somewhere in the middlegame they cross.

The practical rule: if you are heading for an endgame, **trade your cannon for their horse**, not the other way round.

## Where the rule breaks

If the enemy general still has both advisors, a cannon retains value late because the palace is exactly where screens survive longest. And a horse that cannot reach the action in four moves is worth less than its number regardless of how empty the board is.

## Related questions

Can a lone horse mate?

No, and neither can a lone cannon. Both need a partner.

Which should I keep in an attack?

Usually the horse, because it covers escape points around the palace that nothing else reaches.

## Related xiangqi resources

What the pieces are worth

And the three times the numbers stop being true

Horse endgames

The piece that gains as the board empties

Cannon endgames

The piece that fades as the board empties

## Try it on a real board

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