World Xiangqi Federation rules
Use the federation rules for the Xiangqi board, piece movement, legal boundaries, and competition terminology. The comparison examples on this site are learner explanations, not official game scores.
Xiangqi legality check
How to Check the Xiangqi Flying General Rule
The two generals may not remain on the same file with no piece between them. Treat that as a position-wide legality check, not as a special long-range move you can ignore until an attack occurs. Before making a move, locate both generals, see whether they share a file, identify every intervening piece, and then ask whether the proposed move removes the last screen or moves a general onto an exposed file. A move that leaves the generals facing directly is illegal, even when the moved piece looked unrelated to king safety.
Working table
Five-step flying-general check
Run the rows in order after every move that changes a central file, a palace square, or the only piece between the generals.
| Check | Question | Beginner action |
|---|---|---|
| Locate both generals | Which palace square holds each general after the proposed move? | Mark their files before evaluating captures, checks, or tactical gain. |
| Compare files | Would both generals occupy the same vertical file? | If the files differ, the direct-facing restriction is not triggered by this position. |
| Count intervening pieces | Is at least one piece still between the two generals? | Any color or piece type can serve as the screen, but it must remain on a square strictly between them. |
| Test the proposed move | Does the move remove, capture, or relocate the last intervening piece? | Rebuild the complete resulting position instead of judging only the moving piece's destination. |
| Test a general move | Does either general step onto a file where the other becomes directly visible? | Reject the move even when the destination stays inside the palace. |
| Check the capture consequence | After all captures are removed, do the generals face each other? | Apply the final board state; a captured screen no longer protects the file. |
| Resolve record ambiguity | Does a notation token appear legal until the flying-general scan is applied? | Recheck the side to move, source notation, and board reconstruction rather than inventing an exception. |
This check decides one legality condition only. A move that passes it can still be illegal because of palace limits, check exposure, piece movement, blockers, or the ruleset used by the record.
Read the rule as a final-position constraint
Beginners sometimes remember the phrase flying general as if it described an optional attack that happens only when one general chooses to capture down the board. The practical reading is broader: after a legal move is completed, the two generals cannot stand on the same file without an intervening piece. That means a rook, cannon, soldier, advisor, elephant, or other piece can become strategically important simply because it blocks the file between the palaces.
The useful habit is to inspect the resulting position. First place the moved piece, remove any captured piece, and then trace the vertical line from one general to the other. If no occupied intersection remains between them, the move fails this legality check. Do not stop at the moving piece's normal movement rule; Xiangqi legality also depends on what the move exposes elsewhere on the board.
Notice the last-screen problem
The highest-risk moves are those involving the final intervening piece. That piece may be pinned in an unusual way: moving it could expose the generals even if the piece is not protecting either palace from an ordinary rook or cannon. Capturing it can produce the same problem. A tactical sequence that wins material is irrelevant when its first move creates a forbidden direct line between the generals.
Build a small verbal checkpoint: same file, one screen, screen moves. When all three are true, pause and redraw the file after the move. This is especially useful in records where several pieces cluster around the central files and a notation token directs attention toward a capture. The screen belongs to the whole position, not to one side, so an opponent's piece can also be the only legal separator.
Keep palace movement and facing checks separate
A general normally moves one point orthogonally within its palace, but staying inside the palace does not automatically make the move legal. The destination can place the general on the opposing general's file, or a move within the palace can leave an existing shared file with no screen. Run both checks: first confirm the destination obeys palace movement, then confirm the completed position does not leave the generals facing directly.
The reverse distinction matters too. If the generals are on different files, the flying-general restriction is not the reason a move fails. The move may still expose the moving side's general to a rook, cannon, horse, soldier, or another legal attack. Naming the failed condition helps a learner repair the board accurately instead of treating every general-safety error as the same rule.
Use the check while replaying records
When a reconstructed record suddenly produces facing generals, assume the reconstruction needs review before assuming the published game used an exception. Return to the last verified position and check whose turn it was, whether the file number was read from the mover's perspective, whether a capture was removed, and whether two identical pieces needed front or rear disambiguation. One mistaken square can make a valid record look illegal several moves later.
Replay only a short segment after the correction. At each move that touches the shared file, say what remains between the generals. This turns a memorized prohibition into a dependable board-reading skill. For tournament adjudication or a disputed historical score, use the named event rules and an authorized official; this beginner guide explains the cited federation rule but does not replace a complete competition procedure.
Rules checked
Source notes
Use the source for the rule claim named here; use the guide for the beginner reading task.