--- title: "Xiangqi Endgames — Technique and Winning Method · Xiangqi Master" description: "Xiangqi endgame technique by material: chariot, cannon, horse and soldier endings, what wins, what draws, and why advisors decide so many of them." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/endgames source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # Xiangqi endgames Xiangqi endgames are more exact than chess endgames, and more of them are known results. Two facts drive almost everything: a player with no legal move loses, and whether the defender still has advisors and elephants very often settles the whole question. ## By material Chariot endgames The most common, and the most decisive Soldier endgames When one crossed soldier is enough Horse endgames The piece that gets stronger as the board empties Cannon endgames The piece that needs something to jump over Basic checkmates What forces mate against a bare general, and what does not Advisors and elephants The defensive structure that decides most endgames ## The principles behind them Why stalemate is a loss The rule that changes every endgame Why advisors decide endgames Two small pieces, the whole result #### Being written Cannon, horse, advisor and elephant endings, plus mixed-material positions with practice drills, are in progress. ## Related questions Why do advisors matter so much in xiangqi endgames? They block the palace diagonals that attacking pieces need. Many endings are a straightforward win against a general with no advisors and a dead draw against one with both, so the same material can be winning or drawn depending on them alone. Can a lone chariot win against a general with advisors? Generally not against a correctly defended general with two advisors and two elephants. A chariot plus almost any second unit changes the picture, which is why endgame trades need care. ## Learn it on the board Everything here is easier once you have played a game. Start one now — free, and no download.