The cannon and soldier endgame rewards precise coordination. Learn how the soldier crosses the river, how the cannon finds a screen, and how to convert.
The cannon and soldier endgame is where patient technique beats brute force. Neither piece is overwhelming on its own, but together they form a coordinated attacking pair that can break through a defended palace. The key is understanding what each piece needs from the other, because they cover for each other's weaknesses in a very specific way.
In this guide we will look at the jobs of the cannon and the soldier, how to shepherd the soldier across the river and into the palace, and the clever business of finding a screen for the cannon. We will also be honest about what this material can and cannot win, so you know when to press and when to settle.
The pieces and their jobs
The cannon has a famous limitation in the endgame: it needs a screen to capture or check, and with the board nearly empty screens are hard to find. A lone cannon cannot even force mate against a bare general, because there is nothing to jump over and no way to cover the king's escape. It needs a partner, and the soldier is exactly that partner.
The soldier looks humble but becomes a genuine attacker once it crosses the river. Before the river it can only step straight forward, one point at a time. After the river it can also move sideways, which lets it slide onto the files it needs and even march into the enemy palace. Remember that a soldier never promotes and never retreats, so every advance is permanent and every step must be chosen with care.
Together, the soldier can serve as the very screen the cannon lacks, or it can be the piece that lands the final blow while the cannon pins the defense in place. That mutual support is the whole engine of the endgame.
Getting the soldier across and into the palace
Your first practical task is usually to escort the soldier safely over the river, keeping it defended by the cannon or your general as it advances. Once it is across, its new sideways mobility lets you steer it toward the palace files, where it can attack advisors and threaten the general directly.
There is an important nuance about timing. A soldier that rushes all the way to the opponent's back rank becomes a bottom-rank soldier, which can only shuffle sideways and loses all forward power. Often a soldier one rank higher is far more useful, because it still threatens to advance and keeps the defender guessing. Do not spend your soldier's forward potential too early; keep it flexible until you have set up the breakthrough.
Finding a screen for the cannon
The heart of the technique is giving the cannon a screen at the right moment. Sometimes your own soldier provides it. Sometimes, elegantly, the enemy's own advisor or general position becomes the screen you need, letting the cannon check the very king it is hiding behind. Learning to spot these screens is what turns a static position into a winning attack.
A recurring winning idea is the hollow cannon on the central file. Planted directly opposite the enemy general with the file open, it freezes the king in place and cramps the advisors, which want those central points. With the defense pinned and unable to reorganize, the soldier walks in from the side to capture a defender or deliver the finishing threat.
Coordination is everything: the cannon controls or pins while the soldier strikes, or the soldier holds a square as the screen while the cannon checks. Alternating these roles is how you pry open a palace that looks, at first glance, perfectly solid.
What you can and cannot win
Against a lone general, a cannon and soldier win with correct technique, since the soldier gives the cannon the partner it was missing and the two together can build a mating net. This is the baseline you should be able to convert without hesitation.
Against a defense of two advisors the fight is harder but often winnable, especially if you have kept your own advisors as screens. The typical method is to use the hollow cannon to freeze the general and then bring the soldier in to capture advisors one by one, though some fortress positions hold a draw and demand real accuracy. The clear takeaway is that the soldier is essential: a lone cannon, even with advisors of its own, generally cannot force a win, so guard that soldier as your most valuable asset.
Next steps
Set up a cannon and soldier against a lone general and practice the clean win, then add advisors to the defense and work on the hollow-cannon breakthrough. Feeling the difference between a flexible soldier and a stranded bottom-rank soldier will sharpen your judgment quickly.
Try these endgames on XiangqiPlay against the engine or a friend, and focus on coordinating the two pieces rather than pushing them separately. With a little practice, the cannon and soldier will become a reliable finishing team in your own games.