Chinese chess pieces

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Chinese chess cannon

The cannon is the piece western chess has no cousin for. Empty path — it slides. Something in the way — it may jump that one screen and take what sits beyond. Two screens, or none when you wanted a capture — nothing happens.

The pieces page names the whole army. This door exists because people type cannon like a mission.

When

When to use

The capture rule keeps confusing you. Teaching a friend why an empty file looks safe until it isn’t.

When not

When not to

Wanting every piece — use pieces. Wanting a full first-game walkthrough — how to play.

Defaults

Assumptions

Red cannon selected on the demo board when the page loads (same as the pieces shell). Rules match ordinary Xiangqi.

Steps

How

1. Select a cannon (炮 / 砲).
2. Empty line: land anywhere along the slide.
3. Capture: need exactly one piece between you and the target — friend or foe.

Worked notes

Examples

• Cannon, empty file, enemy chariot at the end → you can slide up, but you cannot take until a screen steps in
• Cannon, your soldier, then their horse → jump the soldier, take the horse — one screen only

Watch-outs

Gotchas

• Don’t teach cannon as ‘rook that always jumps.’
• A screen of two pieces blocks the capture.
• Black writes 砲; red writes 炮 — same moves.

Screen

The jump people forget

The screen can be your piece or theirs. After the capture, the screen stays where it was — you don’t remove it. That single fact wins more park-table arguments than any opening book.

Controls

Board controls

Pieces mode: tap discs to see legal dots. Cannon starts selected so the jump reads immediately.