Central Cannon from the left
左中炮 · zuǒ zhōng pào
Same square, different cannon. The left Central Cannon reaches the middle file from Red's other wing, and at first glance the position looks like a mirror of the main line. It is not quite. The cannon that stayed home is now on the other side of the board, so the wing you attack on, the chariot that comes out first and the horse that supports the centre all swap sides with it. Play it because you want that shape, not by accident.
The moves
1 move from the starting position. Step through them on the board.
- Red. The left cannon takes the middle file, aiming down the board at the General while the right cannon stays where it is.
What actually changes
The battery is identical. The support around it is not. Whichever cannon stays on its home square is the one that will defend, screen or swing to a file later, and it now does that job from the opposite wing.
In practice your attacking chariot tends to come from the other side too, and the soldier break that opens lines for it is on the other flank. If you already know the standard Central Cannon plans, mirror them completely rather than half way.
When to prefer it
- You want the same central pressure in a position your opponent has prepared less carefully.
- Your favourite attacking setup runs down the other flank, and this saves a tempo getting there.
- You are happy in less charted water and would rather the game turned on understanding than on recall.
How Black should meet it
Exactly as against the standard version, mirrored: cover the middle file, develop the horses so they defend one another, and do not panic. The cannon is aimed, but a single aimed piece has never checkmated anybody.
Try it on a real board
Reading an opening and playing one are different skills. Set this line up against the computer, get it wrong a few times cheaply, then take it into a rated game.
Common questions
- Is the left Central Cannon weaker than the normal one?
- No. It reaches the same structure. It is simply less common, so both players are more likely to be thinking than recalling.
- Do the same replies work against it?
- Yes, mirrored. Screen Horses remains the main answer and the safest one.
Read next
- Central Cannon中炮Red's cannon swings to the middle file and points straight at the enemy General. The plan behind the Central Cannon, the replies you will face, and the trap that ruins most attacks.
- Central Cannon vs Screen Horses中炮对屏风马The most analysed structure in Chinese chess. How Screen Horses answers the Central Cannon, what each side is really playing for, and the defensive move order that keeps Black solid.
- Palcorner Cannon士角炮The cannon takes the advisor's file instead of the centre. A sound, less charted alternative to the Central Cannon, with the plans that make it work.
Every named line is listed on the xiangqi openings index. New to the game? Start with the rules of Chinese chess, or learn the Chinese characters on the pieces.