Same Direction Cannons: Filed Chariot vs. Ranked Chariot
Section 1: Red develops both Horses as Proper Horses with 3rd Pawn Advancement
Board 1: Black pushes the 3rd Pawn1C2=5C8=52H2+3H8+73R1=2R9+14H8+7...Both colors have chosen the basic formation of the Same Direction Cannons: Filed Chariot vs. Ranked Chariot.
For this move, Red's the left Horse is developed as a Proper Horse, which would be favourable as it would strengthen the control center of the board.
Developing the Horse as a Proper Horse was a breakthrough improvement against the old school methods of playing H8+9, R2+6, et cetera.4...R9=45P3+1P3+1Both colors would push their 3rd Pawn to counteract the effects of the enemy's 3rd Pawn. This is a commonly used tactic in the Xiangqi opening.6R2+5...Red advanced the Chariot to capture the Pawn, powerful move, Faced with this, Black has two major counters:
Variation (A): H2+3
Variation (B): C5-1 [Preferred]6...H2+3Variation (A): H2+3
Black develops the Horse as he was prepared to sacrifice the Pawn hoping that he could be compensated with faster development of his major pieces. If he chose to move E3+1, the opponent will counter with C8=9, Red would have the initiative.6...C5-1Variation (B): C5-1
Black retreats the Cannon as he was prepared to attack from the throat rank. It was clever *inside *maneuvering of his material, and was a focused effort targetted at the Red Chariot's threat of capturing his Pawn. Such a tactic is often used to initiate counter attacks.7.R2=7R4+18.H3+4Sound move. At this point, Red cannot move R7+4 to hastily capture the Elephant, otherwise Black will counter and Black would gain a huge advantage.8.R7+4??C2=3!!9.H7-5E7+510.R7-1H2+4H2+39.C8+4C5=3Black traverses the Cannon to attack the enemy Chariot, showing a correct order of the moves. If he directly moved E3+5, the opponent will counter putting Black's left flank is under attack.9...E3+5??10.C8=3!!C5=311.R7=4R1=212.C5=310.C8=7E3+511.R7-1C3+212.R7+2C2-213.R9=8C2=314.R7=8H3+415.H4+6R4+216.R8=7Red has the slight advantage.
[Brief Summary]
In this board, Black*s 3rd Pawn Advancement Variation, although it would place a lot of pressure on Red, but the variation is easier to grasp. This would be a feasible strategy for Black if he sought to play a steady game.
For the next move, th [...]6...E3+1?7.C8=9!Red has now the initiative.7R2=7H3+48P7+1...Another option would be R9+1. It will be a sticky situation whereby both colors will be pestering each other.8.R9+1E3+19.C8+4R4+210.R9=6C2=48...E3+19R7=8C2+510C5=8...Red has the advantage.