Xiangqi in 10 minutes
Chinese chess: two armies, one goal. Trap the enemy general. You already know the idea if you have played chess. Tap the board below to learn each piece by moving it.
Try every piece
Pick a piece, then tap a green dot to move it. Tap a red ring to capture that piece. Pieces can’t be dropped anywhere: every move follows the real rules, and blockers stop them. Tap any other point to try an illegal move and see why it isn’t allowed. Press Reset board to start over.
The board
Nine lines across, ten along. Pieces sit on the crossings, not inside squares. The shaded boxes are the palaces, and the gap in the middle is the river. Red moves first.
Red is at the bottom, black at the top. Pieces are the same set for both sides, only the characters differ.
The goal
Checkmate the enemy general, or leave the enemy with no legal move. In Xiangqi, having no legal move means you lose, not draw.
How much is each piece worth?
Rough guide for deciding trades. Longer bar, more valuable.
Three rules that surprise newcomers
If the two generals look at each other down an open file with nothing between them, that position is illegal. This can force a win, so watch the file.
A horse needs the point next to it (its “leg”) to be empty. An elephant needs the point in the middle of its jump (its “eye”) to be empty.
A cannon moves like a chariot, but to capture it must hop over exactly one piece of either colour, then land on an enemy behind it.
Your first game plan
- Open with the cannon to the centre. Slide a cannon in front of your general. It pressures the enemy’s central soldier right away.
- Get your chariots out. They are your strongest pieces and are stuck in the corners. Open a file for each one.
- Keep guards home, attack with the rest. Advisors and elephants rarely leave. Use chariots, horses, and cannons to chase the general.
Next steps: play a few games against a beginner-level app, and learn the check rules (a perpetual chase can be illegal in formal play).