Advisor
仕 (Red) / 士 (Black) · shì
Two Advisors look like the least interesting pieces on the board. They are also the reason most attacks fail. Almost every mating pattern in xiangqi depends on a particular palace point being undefended, and the Advisors are what defend those points. Lose both against heavy pieces and the game usually ends quickly.
The Advisor's single diagonal step, from its starting point toward the centre of the palace.
How it moves
- Moves exactly one point diagonally.
- Never leaves the palace, so it can only ever stand on five of the nine palace points.
- Captures normally, on the point it moves to.
- Cannot be promoted, cannot cross the river, and has no special powers.
- Worth
- About two soldiers, and far more when the palace is under attack
- Also called
- Guard, Mandarin
What the Advisors are really doing
They cover the diagonal points of the palace, which are exactly the squares an attacking horse or cannon wants. An intact pair means an enemy chariot arriving on the back rank has no mate; a missing Advisor often means it does.
They also block. A cannon needs a clear line and a single screen, and an Advisor standing in the wrong place for the attacker ruins the geometry completely.
The trap: too many defenders
Advisors can smother your own General. In the mate called 闷宫, the General is checked and cannot move because its own pieces fill every escape point. Before you crowd all four defenders into the palace, check that the General still has somewhere to step.
Practical valuation
- Against two chariots, keep both Advisors even at the cost of a soldier.
- In a quiet endgame with few attackers left, an Advisor is worth much less, and trading one to activate a piece is fine.
- A palace with one Advisor and one Elephant is a target, not a fortress. Plan for the attack before it arrives.
Common questions
- How does the Advisor move in Chinese chess?
- One point diagonally, and it must stay inside the palace. That restricts it to five squares for the whole game.
- Is an Advisor worth more than an Elephant?
- They are close, and it depends on the attack you are facing. Advisors matter most against chariots and cannons on the back rank; Elephants matter most against cannons firing at the centre.
Terms worth knowing
- Advisor士 / 仕A short range defender that moves one point diagonally and never leaves the palace, protecting the General from cannons and chariots.
- Palace九宫The three by three square marked with a cross at each end of the board, which the General and the two Advisors may never leave.
- Smothered mate in the palace闷宫A mate where the General is checked and every escape point is blocked by its own defenders.
- General将 / 帅The piece you must protect and the piece your opponent must trap, confined to the nine points of its own palace.