The Three-Step Tiger

What are the three steps?

Either side can play the three-step tiger, and this guide shows it as Red. Red's three moves are 马二进三 (H2+3), 炮二平一 (C2=1) and 车一平二 (R1=2). The horse comes up, the cannon moves to the edge, and the chariot steps across from the corner to h0, on the file that the horse and the cannon have left.

The first two steps make room for the third. The horse leaves h0 free for the chariot, and the cannon's move to the edge opens the h-file in front of it. On the board below, Black brings out both horses while Red makes the three moves, and the chariot on h0 ends them by attacking Black's cannon on h7, straight up the file.

The course line, move by move

The board below plays the line that the site's opening course teaches for the three-step tiger. It starts with the opening's standard moves, and a computer engine continued it from there. Go through it once, and at each move look at what the moved piece attacks and guards.

Red makes the three steps on its first three moves while Black brings out both horses and a chariot. The board ends with Black's chariot on b9 attacking Red's cannon on b2.

Black's replies in the archive

The board below starts after 马二进三 (H2+3), 卒7进1 (P7+1) and 炮二平一 (C2=1), a position that 142 archive games reached. Its arrows show the three replies Black chose most often there. In the ECCO, the Chinese system of opening codes, this sequence has its own code, A42: the horse opening that turns into an edge cannon against 卒7进1.

All three named lines below continue with 马8进7 (H8+7), the first arrow on the board, and bring both chariots to the h-file. They part on Red's next chariot move, which crosses the river to h6 in the first two lines and stops on h4 in the third.

The order of the steps

Against an opponent who sets up a central cannon at the start, the three steps come in a second order: 马二进三 (H2+3), 车一平二 (R1=2) and then 炮二平一 (C2=1). The chariot comes out before the cannon moves, so that it can strike at the enemy chariot. In the course line, Black's first reply is a horse move, 马8进7 (H8+7), and Red plays the three steps in the usual order. Learn both: the usual order from the course line, and the second one for games against a central cannon.

The site teaches five opening principles: bring the chariots out early, do not move one piece again and again, do not grab soldiers in the opening, keep both wings balanced and keep the general safe. The three-step tiger is built around the first of them. In the course line, Red's chariot comes out on Red's third move, and Black's chariot follows on Black's third.

The other principles still apply. All three steps develop Red's right wing, so the next moves should bring the left wing into play. In the course line, Red's fifth move brings the second horse out to c2.

Common mistakes

The first mistake is to stop after two steps. Some players bring out the horse and move the cannon to the edge, then turn to other pieces while the chariot waits in the corner on i0. The cannon left the h-file to make room for that chariot, and an idle chariot goes against the first principle: bring the chariots out early. In the course line, the third step comes at once, and the chariot on h0 attacks Black's cannon on h7.

The second mistake is to grab the cannon on h7. Your chariot attacks it from h0 and then from h4, and it can look free for the taking. Once Black's chariot reaches h9, though, it guards that cannon, so if you take, Black's chariot takes back and you have given a chariot for a cannon. The course line keeps up the attack from h4 and leaves the cannon alone.

The third mistake is to forget the cannon on b2, which only the edge cannon guards, over the horse on g2. Once the second horse comes out to c2, the edge cannon guards that horse instead, because a cannon reaches only the first piece beyond its screen. When Black's chariot arrives on b9, the cannon on b2 is attacked and unguarded, and you have to answer at once. So before Black's chariot gets there, plan how to guard b2 again.

The three-step tiger in the archive

The archive holds 168 games of the three-step tiger, out of 29,164 games between human players. Red wins 31% of them, 39% end in a draw and Black wins 30%. A game lasts 46 moves on average.

Across the whole archive, Red wins 37% of the games and 36% are drawn, so you can compare the opening's results with the average game. The player who chose the three-step tiger most often as Red is Chen Fujie, in 12 games.

To practise, step through the line in the opening course, which plays it further than this page does. The course's page for the opening then lets you play Red's moves yourself, or defend against them as Black. The three steps will not win a game by themselves, but they bring your chariot into play by your third move.