Cannon behind the horse
马后炮 · mǎ hòu pào
A mating pattern where a horse covers the General's escape squares and a cannon checks along the line with the horse itself as the screen.
The horse sits in front, taking away the flight squares. The cannon sits behind it on the same line, using the horse as its screen, and checks the General. The General cannot move, cannot capture the horse safely, and cannot block, because a blocking piece only becomes a second screen.
马后炮 is so well known in China that the phrase is used in everyday speech for advice that arrives too late, after the damage is done.
Getting the shape is easier than it sounds. The horse usually arrives first, either through the trough or from a corner of the palace, and the cannon simply drops in behind it on the same line.
In practice
This is the first mating pattern to learn. Two ordinary pieces, no sacrifice needed, and it appears in a huge share of decisive games.
Related terms
- Cannon炮 / 砲A piece that moves like a chariot but can only capture by jumping exactly one piece, called the screen, on its way to the target.
- Horse马 / 马A knight that moves one point straight then one diagonally, and which unlike a western knight can be blocked by a piece standing in its way.
- Checkmate将死A check the defender cannot answer, which ends the game immediately in the attacker's favour.
- Horse in the trough卧槽马A horse planted next to the enemy palace where it checks the General and supports a mating attack from a chariot or cannon.