Advisors and elephants
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Direct answer
Advisors and elephants never leave their own half, so their only job is defence, and they do it well enough to decide most endgames. A defender with both advisors holds many positions that a defender with one loses outright. Attackers aim at the advisors first for exactly that reason.
What each one defends against
- Advisors stop cannons and chariots. An advisor fills a point inside the palace, which takes away a mating square and gives the general somewhere to hide behind. Most cannon mates need a specific palace point to be empty.
- Elephants stop horses and soldiers. An elephant covers points a horse wants to land on and blocks the diagonal approaches, and a defended pair of elephants is very hard to break.
The two work as a set. Against a chariot and a cannon, the advisors matter more. Against a horse and soldiers, the elephants do. Losing one of each is far worse than losing two of the same kind.
The arithmetic that decides the game
These are the rules of thumb most club endgames come down to. They are not absolute, and they are right often enough to steer your trades:
- Chariot against a full defence. A chariot alone against two advisors and two elephants is normally a draw.
- Chariot against a broken defence. Remove one advisor and the same chariot usually wins.
- Horse and cannon against a full defence. Difficult, often drawn.
- Two attacking pieces against a missing advisor. Usually winning.
That is why strong players will give up a soldier to take an advisor, and why an exchange that looks even can decide the game twenty moves later.
Keeping the structure intact
Do not move advisors and elephants without a reason. Every advisor move changes which palace points are covered, and the point you vacate is often the one the attacker needs.
There is one important exception, and it is the mistake in the opposite direction. Advisors sitting on the wrong points can trap your own general, which is exactly how the double cannon mate works. Before a quiet advisor move, check which point it takes away from your own general.
Common mistakes
Trading an advisor for a soldier
In the endgame an advisor is usually worth more than a soldier, because whole classes of mate become possible the moment one is gone.
Moving elephants for space
Elephants never cross the river, so an elephant move gains no ground. It only changes what they defend, and usually for the worse.
Counting material without counting the defence
Equal material with one advisor missing is often a loss. Count the defensive structure separately from the attacking pieces.
Related questions
What are advisors and elephants for in xiangqi?
Defence, and nothing else. Both are confined to their own side of the board, advisors to the palace and elephants to their own half, so they exist to protect the general. See how the advisor moves.
Is it worth giving up a soldier to win an advisor?
Usually yes in the endgame. Many attacks that fail against two advisors succeed against one, so removing an advisor is often worth more than the material it costs.
Can a chariot beat two advisors and two elephants?
Normally not. A lone chariot against a complete defence is a standard draw. Remove one advisor and it usually becomes a win.
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