--- title: "Central Cannon vs Single Horse (单提马) · Xiangqi Master" description: "单提马: one horse to the edge file so the chariot gets out immediately. The defence that trades central control for speed." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/openings/central-cannon-vs-single-horse updated: 2026-10-05 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # Central Cannon vs Single Horse 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 > > 单提马 sends a horse to the edge file instead of toward the centre, which frees the chariot behind it at once. Black accepts less influence over the middle in exchange for the fastest development of any answer to the Central Cannon. It suits players who would rather have active pieces than a solid structure. ## The opening moves Black's second move is the one to notice: the horse goes outward, not inward. 单提马. The horse steps to the edge file, and the chariot behind it is free immediately. > Diagram: 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 you buy and what you pay This is one of the clearest trades in the opening repertoire, which makes it a useful opening to understand even if you never play it. - **You buy a developed chariot.** A chariot on an open file is the most valuable thing you can have early, and this is the quickest route to one. [Why chariots want lines →](https://xiangqimaster.com/tactics/chariot-tactics) - **You pay in central influence.** A horse on the edge covers fewer useful points, and against a central cannon the middle is exactly where the fight is. - **The edge horse is harder to dislodge** but also harder to bring back. It is not easily attacked, and it is not easily useful either. ## Where it goes from here Black's plan is to use the early chariot before Red consolidates the centre: pressure down a file, or a swing across to the other wing while Red is still arranging pieces. Red's plan is the mirror image — build in the middle, because the one thing Black has given up is the ability to contest it. If you are choosing between this and the main lines, the honest summary is that 单提马 rewards activity and punishes drifting. A player who gets the chariot out and then does nothing with it has simply played a worse version of Screen Horses. ## Related questions What is 单提马? A defence to the Central Cannon in which one horse goes to the edge file rather than toward the centre, freeing the chariot behind it immediately. Faster development, less central control. Why would you put a horse on the edge? To open the file for the chariot a move sooner. A chariot on a clear file is worth more in the opening than almost any other gain, and this is the quickest way to get one. See [chariot tactics](https://xiangqimaster.com/tactics/chariot-tactics). Is 单提马 worse than Screen Horses? It is a trade, not a mistake: less influence in the centre for faster pieces. It punishes passive play harder than Screen Horses does, because the whole justification is doing something with the early chariot. ## Related xiangqi resources Chariot tactics Why an open file is worth a tempo Central Cannon vs Screen Horses The solid alternative Opening principles Develop, open files, contest the centre ## Put it into practice Play a game against the computer or a real opponent. It is free, it starts instantly, and there is nothing to install.