Central Cannon vs Screen Horses
Every position, move and legality claim on this page is verified programmatically against our open rules engine, which implements 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.
Direct answer
Central Cannon against Screen Horses (中炮对屏风马) is the main line of xiangqi. Red swings a cannon to the central file to aim at the general through the soldiers; Black answers with two horses that both guard the central soldier and cover each other. Red is playing for speed and the central file, Black for a solid structure that outlasts the attack. Nearly every opening book in the language starts here.
The opening moves
Step through the first six moves. The notation beside each is the WXF spelling, generated by the engine rather than typed, so it matches the move exactly.
Xiangqi position. Red: soldier a3, soldier c3, soldier e3, soldier g3, soldier i3, cannon b2, cannon h2, chariot a0, horse b0, elephant c0, advisor d0, general e0, advisor f0, elephant g0, horse h0, chariot i0. Black: chariot a9, horse b9, elephant c9, advisor d9, general e9, advisor f9, elephant g9, horse h9, chariot i9, cannon b7, cannon h7, soldier a6, soldier c6, soldier e6, soldier g6, soldier i6. Red to move.
What each side is actually fighting over
It is easy to learn these moves and still not know what the game is about. It comes down to three things:
- The central file. Red's whole idea is that a cannon on the e-file is a standing threat against the general, and that every piece Red adds to the centre makes it heavier. Black's whole idea is that a structure which never lets the file open is worth more than any single defensive move.
- Speed against solidity. Red is a tempo up by moving first and spends it attacking. If the attack does not arrive, Red is left with loose pieces and Black with a better endgame. This is the trade the whole matchup turns on.
- The horses' legs. Screen Horses works because the two horses defend each other, so attacking one does not win it. Red's counter-plan is almost always to block or deflect a horse rather than capture it — a horse whose leg is occupied defends nothing. How blocking works →
Where it goes from here
From this position the theory branches, and the branch names are the ones you will meet in Chinese books: 五七炮 and 五六炮 for the ways Red adds a second cannon, 五九炮 for the edge-file version. Each is a different answer to the same question — how to make the central pressure count before Black finishes developing.
Black's choices are about which structure to commit to: keep both horses home and defend, or counter on a wing with a chariot and accept a sharper game. The Screen Horses page covers the defensive plans on their own terms.
We have not written the sub-variations yet. When we do, each will arrive the same way as the line above: moves verified against the engine, notation generated rather than typed.
Related questions
What is the most common opening in xiangqi?
Central Cannon against Screen Horses (中炮对屏风马). Red takes the central file with a cannon, Black answers with two mutually defending horses. It is the main line of the game and the starting point of nearly every opening book.
Why is it called Screen Horses?
Because the two horses screen the centre. Each guards the central soldier and each covers the other, so attacking one of them does not win it — which is what makes the structure hold up against a direct attack.
Is the Central Cannon good for beginners?
Yes, and it is the usual recommendation. The plan is easy to state — put pressure on the centre and get your chariots out — and you learn more from a position with a clear idea than from a quiet one. See choosing an opening.
How do you beat Screen Horses?
Not by capturing a horse, since they defend each other. The usual route is to block or deflect one — a horse with its leg occupied stops defending anything — and then make the central file count. See deflection.
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