Exchange
兑子 · duì zǐ
Trading pieces, which in xiangqi is the defender's main tool for killing an attack.
Every trade takes one attacker off the board. Since attacks here usually need two or three pieces working together, offering an exchange at the right moment is often a complete answer to a dangerous initiative.
Exchanges also change what cannons can do. Fewer pieces means fewer screens, and a cannon with nothing to jump is close to a spectator, so the defending side frequently trades their way into safety.
Direction matters as much as material. Trading your bad piece for their good one is a gain even at equal value, and refusing a trade because it feels passive is one of the most common ways a defensible position becomes a lost one.
In practice
When you are under pressure, look for a trade before you look for a defensive move. When you are attacking, avoid trades that remove your own attackers.
Related terms
- Sacrifice弃子Giving up material on purpose to open a line, remove a defender or reach a mating pattern.
- Cannon炮 / 砲A piece that moves like a chariot but can only capture by jumping exactly one piece, called the screen, on its way to the target.
- Initiative先手Having the move that forces the opponent to react; in xiangqi it also names Red's advantage of moving first.
- Endgame残局The final phase, with few pieces left, where exact technique and known positions decide the result.