In certain situations such as 2 Assistants with 2 Elephants, one side might hav moved it while the other moved only 1 shi in the whole game. This would turn into victory for one side because 3 pawn vs a full defense is a win.
Furthermore, Pawns starting from the assistant position are totally unguarded in terms of situation where pawn battles ensue.
In addition, in drawish situations previously seen, it's become a game for the one who converts over first to win the game.
What I see is that, in a long battle, this move might become the new 'wait' move without changing the overall 'pattern' of the game because the converted pawn stays in the same place.
Plus, this only applies to higher level of playing. In countries where the level of play is lower, it spoils the game; books/materials become redundant. A major revamp of the books/materials would be needed. Does chess need to change just to suit high level players?
It's true that chess games now have become boring, for even I stopped following the games from China, but this is not the way to cure the situation by changing the core defense of the king.
Changing the game like this makes Chinese Chess the laughing stock of other Chess communities. It shows how imperfect chinese chess is; easily drawn as long as one has a certain skill level.
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