Horse-and-Cannon Mate (马后炮)
Horse-and-cannon is one of the most common checkmating patterns in Xiangqi — the single most useful one to learn first.
The idea in one sentence
The horse does two jobs at once: blocking the king's escape, and serving as the cannon's required mount.
Why every escape square is covered
The black king normally has three escape squares. Here, none of them work:
- Left or right — both are covered by the horse's own attack pattern.
- Forward — stepping into the cannon's own firing line is still check.
With every square covered and nothing able to block or capture, the king has nowhere to go.
How to actually set this up in a real game
You rarely get handed this for free — you build it. The usual recipe:
- Manoeuvre a horse to the square directly in front of the enemy palace, on the king's own file.
- Bring a rook or cannon onto that same file, behind the horse.
- If the king has no escape and nothing can interpose, the horse's arrival alone delivers mate.
Common mistake
Always verify the king's escape squares before committing the horse — not after — or the combination falls apart.
Want to try spotting this pattern yourself?
Play Xiangqi free →About this diagram
This position was verified programmatically against the same rule engine that powers our playable Xiangqi board — confirmed checkmate, not just "looks right."