The defenders : elephants and advisors are not immune to this dichotomy. Sometimes the scores give something like E7-5 and the xiangqi software is at a loss and sometimes even invents some other moves , turning the game from a mole to a mouse from that point onwards ! The problem is that the two elephants are on the same file, when only the one in front ( at the edge of the river ) can retreat, the computer requires -E-5 or E--5 as the correct input.
Home/Away Dichotomy in XQ notation
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It is interesting to compare the notation systems of chess and xiangqi. The algebraic system is actually using Cartesian coordinates with the slightest modifications. : Ng5, Re6 etc. When two pieces of the same kind are on the same file, we use the rank as the distinguishing feature. Two rooks on the same file, no problem: R2e4 or R5e4. In Xiangqi, only the files are mentioned to locate the pieces and the ranks ,never. For example, H2+3 , means that the horse jumps from the second file to the third. If there are two horses (chariots, cannons, or pawns( doubled pawns are rare and tripled pawns even more so) ) on the same file, the one further from home is the + piece, and the other one is preceded by -. So H2+3 is now recorded as +H+3 or –H+3 according to the which horse is concerned. Some softwares require a twist on this : +H is H+ and –H becomes H- etc. The 01xq website uses the former notation while Qianhong ( some of you have downloaded this ) only accepts the latter system. So in the converter of the QH Toolkit 1.0, I have to accommodate for this difference.