FUN XIANGQI GUIDES
How to Play the Elephant Opening in Xiangqi (飛相)
By The Fun Xiangqi Team · Published · 3 min read
Video walkthrough coming soon
Steps
Choose one of your elephants
Your elephants start on your back line, between the horses and the advisors. Either one works; this guide uses the one on your right.
Check the elephant's eye
An elephant moves exactly two points diagonally and is blocked if the point in between is occupied. At the start of the game that point is empty.
Fly it to the front of the palace
Move the elephant two points diagonally to the middle of the palace's front edge, on your general's file.
Let the elephants guard each other
Your two elephants now protect each other, and you have a solid centre in front of your general. Nothing is committed to an attack yet.
Develop, then pick a plan
Bring your horses out and your chariots into play early. The quiet start lets you choose where to attack once your pieces are ready.
Before you start
The Elephant Opening, 飛相, is a quiet way to begin. Instead of attacking straight away like the Central Cannon, Red's first move is an elephant to the front of the palace. It's a defensive start: build a solid centre first, then decide where to attack. You only need the elephant's move — exactly two points diagonally, never across the river, and blocked if the point in between is occupied.
The position on the board
Here is Red's half after the move. Files run a to i from Red's left, lines 1 to 5 from Red's edge.
a b c d e f g h i
5 . . . . . . . . .
4 S . S . S . S . S
3 . C . . E . . C .
2 . . . . . . . . .
1 R H E A G A o H R
G = general, A = advisor, E = elephant, H = horse, R = chariot, C = cannon, S = soldier, o = the point the elephant left. The elephant flew from g1 to e3, passing the empty point f2 — the elephant's eye. It now stands in the middle of the palace's front edge, on the same file as your general.
The other elephant on c1 can reach e3 through d2, and the elephant on e3 can reach back to c1, so the two protect each other. And with an elephant on e3, you already have a solid piece in the centre, right in front of your general.
Tips for playing it
- Keep the eyes clear. If d2 gets filled, your elephants stop guarding each other. Don't park pieces there.
- Don't shuffle the elephants. One elephant move sets the position. Moving elephants again without a reason wastes time.
- Develop the rest. Bring your horses out and your chariots into play early, and keep your horses' legs clear.
- Choose your attack later. The point of a quiet start is flexibility — attack once your pieces are out.
Quick questions
Which elephant should I move? Either works. Both can reach the middle of the palace's front edge in one move.
Is the Elephant Opening too passive? It's quiet, not passive. It gives up an early attack in exchange for a solid centre and more choices later.
Can the elephant cross the river later? No. Elephants always stay on their own side, so this is a defensive piece for the whole game.
Next, see another way to start in how to play the Cross-Palace Cannon, or try the Elephant Opening against the classic engine from the Fun Xiangqi home page — levels 1–4 are free.