Sacrifice
弃子 · qì zǐ · abandon a piece
Giving up material on purpose to open a line, remove a defender or reach a mating pattern.
Xiangqi sacrifices are usually concrete rather than speculative, because the target is a nine point palace and you can count your way to the end. The commonest kind removes a defender: a chariot takes an Advisor, and the mate that follows was the point.
The second commonest opens a line. With cannons needing screens and chariots needing files, a soldier given up at the right moment can turn a quiet position into a forced win.
Removing the defender is the pattern to look for first. Count the defenders of the palace point you want to reach, work out which piece you can trade for the last one, and the sacrifice usually announces itself.
In practice
Never sacrifice on feel in this game. Count the mate to the end first, because a failed sacrifice in xiangqi is not a slightly worse position, it is a lost one.
Related terms
- Exchange兑子Trading pieces, which in xiangqi is the defender's main tool for killing an attack.
- Checkmate将死A check the defender cannot answer, which ends the game immediately in the attacker's favour.
- Iron gate bolt铁门栓A mate where a cannon on the middle file freezes the palace and a chariot delivers the blow the defender cannot answer.
- Smothered mate in the palace闷宫A mate where the General is checked and every escape point is blocked by its own defenders.