Xiangqi, often called Chinese chess, is one of the most played board games in the world. Two armies face each other across a river, and the goal is to trap the enemy general. If you know Western chess, a lot will feel familiar, until a cannon jumps over a piece to take your chariot. Play here against the computer or with a friend on one device. If the Chinese characters are new to you, switch the pieces to letters and learn as you go.
Xiangqi rules
The board has 9 columns and 10 rows, and the pieces stand on the points where the lines cross, not in the squares. A river runs across the middle. Each side has a palace, the three-by-three area marked with crossed diagonals. Red moves first, then the players take turns.
- General: moves one point straight and must stay inside the palace. The two generals may never face each other on an open column, with no piece between them.
- Advisor: moves one point diagonally and must stay inside the palace.
- Elephant: moves exactly two points diagonally and can never cross the river. A piece on the point in between blocks it.
- Horse: moves one point straight, then one point diagonally outward. A piece on the first point blocks it, so a horse can be hobbled.
- Chariot: moves any distance along a line. It is the strongest piece.
- Cannon: moves like a chariot, but captures only by jumping over exactly one piece, of either color, called the screen.
- Soldier: moves one point forward. After crossing the river it can also move one point sideways. It never moves backward.
How a game ends
- Checkmate: your general is attacked and no move can save it. You lose.
- No legal move: if you cannot move at all, you lose, even when you are not in check. Unlike Western chess, stalemate is not a draw.
- Resigning: you can give up the game at any time.
- Perpetual check loses: when the same position appears for the third time, the game looks at every move since it first appeared. If all of one side's moves gave check and not all of the other side's did, the side giving check loses.
- On this site, with simplified rules, any other repetition is a draw: when a position appears for the third time and no one was giving perpetual check, the game is drawn. That includes chasing a piece without giving check, and both sides checking throughout.
- 60 moves each with no capture is a draw, and so is a game where neither side has a chariot, horse, cannon or soldier left.
How to play on this page
- Open Setup and choose your opponent: the computer, a friend online, or 2 players, one device.
- Against the computer, choose Easy, Medium or Hard, and whether you play Red or Black. Red moves first. If you play Black, the board turns around so your pieces are at the bottom.
- Tap or click a piece to see where it can go, then tap a marked point. You can also drag a piece to its destination.
- The last move stays highlighted, and a general in check is marked in red. Captured pieces are listed under each player.
- Undo takes a move back. Against the computer, it takes back the computer's reply and your move together. Resign, under More, ends the game and counts as a loss.
- Your settings, score and current game are saved on this browser, so you can reload the page and carry on.
Xiangqi tips
- Get your chariots out early. A chariot still in its corner does nothing, and it is worth about as much as a cannon and a horse together.
- A popular first move is a cannon to the center column, aimed at the enemy general. Bringing a horse out to defend your center soldier is a solid reply.
- Watch the cannon's screen. When a piece moves onto a line between a cannon and a target, it can be what makes the capture possible, even if it is your own piece.
- Keep your horses free. A horse with a piece on its leg point cannot move that way, so look at what is next to it before you rely on it.
- Do not hurry to trade advisors and elephants away. Without them, your general is far easier to attack, especially by horses and cannons.
- Use the rule on facing generals. Your general controls its whole file, so a lone enemy piece standing between the two generals cannot leave that file.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Xiangqi and Western chess?
- Pieces stand on the lines rather than in squares, there is a river and a palace, and captures work differently for the cannon. The goal is similar: trap the enemy general. Two big differences are that having no legal move means you lose, not a draw, and that the generals may not face each other.
- I cannot read Chinese. Can I still play?
- Yes. Under Game setup, choose Letters and the pieces show letters instead of characters. The piece guide on the page shows both forms together with how each piece moves, so you can learn the characters when you feel like it.
- What happens if the same moves keep repeating?
- When a position appears for the third time, the game ends. If one side has been giving check with every move and the other has not, the side giving check loses. Any other repetition is a draw. The page warns you when a position has come up twice.
- Why is my piece not allowed to move?
- A move is illegal if it leaves your own general in check, or if it would leave the two generals facing each other on an open column. A piece standing between the generals is often stuck for that reason. Elephants and horses can also be blocked, as explained in the rules above.
- How strong is the computer?
- Easy looks only a little way ahead and sometimes makes a careless move, so it is good for learning. Medium rarely gives away a piece for free, but does not plan far. Hard looks many moves ahead and will beat most casual players. You can undo moves against any level.
- Do I need to download anything or make an account?
- No. It runs in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone, with nothing to install and no account. Your score and current game are saved in this browser only, and they are lost if you clear its data.