Single lifted horse. Only one horse takes up a central defensive job, while the other develops toward the edge.

Is it weaker than Screen Horses?

It is less solid and less analysed, not refuted. Strong players use it as a surprise weapon and in positions where the open middle file suits their plan.

Reply · Black

Central Cannon vs Single Horse

中炮对单提马 · zhōng pào duì dān tí mǎ

Screen Horses is not the only way to answer a cannon in the middle. In the Single Horse setup Black sends a horse out to the side instead of toward the centre, leaving the middle file free for Black's own pieces to use later. It is older, quieter and less fashionable, and it still ruins the day of anybody who only knows how to attack a screen.

Move 2 of 2

The moves

2 moves from the starting position. Step through them on the board.

Red. Red takes the middle file and aims at the General.
Black. Black develops a horse to the wing rather than the centre. The middle stays clear, and Black's structure will be built around counterplay on the files rather than a wall of defenders.

The trade Black is making

A horse on the edge defends less than a horse in the centre, so Black is accepting a slightly looser position. In return the middle file is not congested, and Black's chariots and cannons can use it without first untangling their own defenders.

It is a structure for players who would rather have activity than a fortress, and it avoids the enormous body of Screen Horses theory almost completely.

How Red should treat it

Do not assume the attack plays itself. Without a screen to hit, the standard chariot raids lose their target.
Take space and develop. Red's edge here is positional rather than tactical.
Watch the middle file. The whole point of Black's setup is that it will become Black's file if Red stops paying attention.

Where the games are decided

Usually on a file rather than in a storm. Without a screen of horses to batter, Red's attack has to be built rather than launched, and that takes time Black can use to arrange the counterplay the open middle was kept for.

So treat this as a slow structure even when it starts with a cannon aimed at your General. The player who first gets a chariot onto a file that matters is normally the player who ends up better.

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.

Enter the board Practise against the computer Sharpen your tactics

Common questions

What is 单提马?: Single lifted horse. Only one horse takes up a central defensive job, while the other develops toward the edge.
Is it weaker than Screen Horses?: It is less solid and less analysed, not refuted. Strong players use it as a surprise weapon and in positions where the open middle file suits their plan.