The pieces
Soldier
兵 / 卒 · bīng / zú
The pawn of xiangqi: one step forward at a time, never backward, and able to move sideways as well once it has crossed the river.
Before the river a Soldier can only step straight ahead. After crossing it may also step left or right, though still never backward. There is no promotion and no double first step.
That makes a crossed soldier a genuine attacking piece rather than a future queen. Three soldiers on the far side of the board, supported, can break a palace on their own, and endgames with a soldier and a cannon against defenders are a whole field of study.
In practice
A soldier one step from the palace is worth more than a soldier two steps from it, and far more than an uncrossed one. Push the ones that are going somewhere.
Related terms
- River楚河汉界The empty band across the middle of a xiangqi board that separates the two armies and changes what your pieces can do once they cross it.
- Crossing the river过河Moving a piece into the opponent's half of the board, where soldiers gain sideways movement and chariots become attackers.
- Endgame残局The final phase, with few pieces left, where exact technique and known positions decide the result.
- Chariot车 / 車The strongest piece in xiangqi, moving any distance along a rank or file exactly like a rook, and the piece that decides most games.