Central Cannon vs Screen Horses, Chariot Files
中炮过河车对屏风马 · zhōng pào guò hé chē duì píng fēng mǎ
Four moves in and the position is already famous. Red has the cannon in the middle and a horse supporting it, Black has the screen complete, and everything that follows is about chariots: which file they take, which of them crosses the river first, and who gets to trade when. Learn this structure and you understand the spine of modern xiangqi.
The moves
4 moves from the starting position. Step through them on the board.
- Red. Red takes the middle file with the cannon.
- Black. Black's first horse steps toward the centre and begins the screen.
- Red. Red brings a horse out to support the central battery. The attack now has two pieces behind it.
- Black. Black completes the screen with the second horse. Both defenders cover each other, and the opening phase is over.
The race
Neither side has an immediate threat, so the game is decided by who arranges their heavy pieces better. In practice that means the chariots. A chariot on an open file is worth more than almost any positional consideration in xiangqi, and a chariot that crosses the river with support is the single most common source of a winning attack.
Red's plan
- Open a file for a chariot, usually with a soldier advance rather than an exchange.
- Cross the river when there is a target, normally one of Black's horses or the soldier a horse defends.
- Keep the central battery intact. It is the reason Black cannot simply ignore the middle and play on a flank.
Black's plan
- Meet the crossing chariot with an offer to trade chariots. Defended positions love exchanges, and each trade takes an attacker away.
- Get the second chariot into the game before the attack begins, not after it.
- Look for the counterattack once Red's initiative fades. Black's structure outlasts most attacks that are not prepared properly.
How to study it
Play the position out against the computer, then against people, and pay attention to one thing only: the moment each chariot becomes active. Almost every result in this structure traces back to that moment.
Try it on a real board
Reading an opening and playing one are different skills. Set this line up against the computer, get it wrong a few times cheaply, then take it into a rated game.
Common questions
- What does 过河车 mean?
- Chariot that has crossed the river. It describes a chariot that has moved into the opponent's half, where it attacks far more.
- Is this position equal?
- It is balanced with Red holding the usual small first move edge. Results here depend far more on middlegame handling than on the opening moves.
- Do I need to memorise the moves?
- No. Learn the four move setup and the two plans. The memorisation people do in this structure pays off mostly at master level.
Read next
- Central Cannon vs Screen Horses中炮对屏风马The most analysed structure in Chinese chess. How Screen Horses answers the Central Cannon, what each side is really playing for, and the defensive move order that keeps Black solid.
- Central Cannon, Chariot Crosses the River中炮过河车Red's chariot heads for Black's half to hit a horse before the defence is ready. The most direct attacking plan in xiangqi, and how Black meets it.
- Central Cannon中炮Red's cannon swings to the middle file and points straight at the enemy General. The plan behind the Central Cannon, the replies you will face, and the trap that ruins most attacks.
- Straight chariot against horizontal chariot顺炮直车对横车The classical same direction main line. Red develops the chariot straight up the file, Black brings it along the rank, and the fight starts immediately.
Every named line is listed on the xiangqi openings index. New to the game? Start with the rules of Chinese chess, or learn the Chinese characters on the pieces.