Elephant Opening vs Central Cannon
飞相对中炮 · fēi xiàng duì zhōng pào
Red offered a quiet game. Black said no. When an Elephant Opening is met by a cannon on the middle file, the roles reverse: the player with the second move is the one attacking, and Red is the one building a defence. That sounds bad and is not, because the elephant Red already played is exactly the piece that makes the central file hard to break.
The moves
2 moves from the starting position. Step through them on the board.
- Red. Red steps the elephant to the centre, reinforcing the point in front of the General before anything is aimed at it.
- Black. Black takes the centre Red declined, putting a cannon on the middle file and aiming at Red's General.
Why Red is fine here
An elephant on the centre point is a defender already in place. Black's cannon arrives with a threat that is answered before it is made, which is the whole reason the Elephant Opening exists.
Red then develops normally, invites exchanges on the middle file, and looks for the moment when Black's advanced pieces need defending. An attack that does not break through leaves a structure behind, and structures are what Red plays for.
Plans
- Red: finish development, keep the centre covered, and open a flank file for a chariot once Black commits.
- Black: make the initiative count quickly, because Red's position gets better with every quiet move.
- Both: remember the two Generals may never face each other on an open file. That rule is a tactical resource in exactly these congested middle files.
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
- Should Black take the centre against the Elephant Opening?
- It is the most testing reply and very common. It is not the only good one: quiet symmetrical development is also fine and leads to a long manoeuvring game.
- Does Red lose the advantage of the first move here?
- Some of it. Red trades a share of the initiative for a structure with no weaknesses, which is the deal the Elephant Opening always offers.
Read next
- Elephant Opening飞相局Red shores up the centre and invites Black to commit first. The Elephant Opening explained: the idea, the structures it leads to, and why patient players win with it.
- Elephant Opening vs Screen Horses飞相对屏风马Two solid setups facing each other. The slow, strategic xiangqi game where nobody blunders early and the win comes from the better plan.
- 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.
- Horse Opening vs Central Cannon起马对中炮Red develops a horse, Black grabs the middle file. How to handle a central cannon when you have not built a battery of your own.
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.