Xiangqi - Chinese Chess

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Beginner Tutorial

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Welcome to Xiangqi!

Learn the basics of this ancient Chinese strategy game in just a few minutes.

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Game Objective

The goal of Xiangqi is to checkmate your opponent's General. Red moves first, and players take turns moving pieces.

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Select a Piece

Click on your piece to select it. The selected piece will show a gold border.

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Move Your Piece

After selecting a piece, click on a highlighted position to move it. Gold dots show empty spaces you can move to, and red borders show opponent pieces you can capture.

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Piece Types

Each piece type has different movement rules. The General can only move within the palace, the Chariot moves in straight lines, and the Horse has unique movement patterns.

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Win Condition

You win when your opponent's General is under attack (in check) and has no legal moves to escape. This is called checkmate!

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Chinese Chess

(Xiangqi)

A classic strategy game where two players battle for supremacy on the board. Move your pieces wisely and checkmate your opponent's General to win!

Red's Turn

Game Rules & History

History of Xiangqi

Xiangqi, also known as Chinese Chess, is one of the oldest board games in the world. It originated in China during the 9th century and has been played for over 1,000 years. The game evolved from Indian Chaturanga and developed its own unique characteristics that reflect Chinese military strategy and philosophy.

The name "Xiangqi" literally means "elephant game" in Chinese, referring to one of the key pieces. The game became widely popular during the Tang Dynasty and has remained a beloved pastime in Chinese culture ever since.

The Board & Setup

The game is played on a 9×10 board divided by a river in the middle. Each player controls 16 pieces arranged in two rows. The board features two palaces (3×3 squares) where the General and Advisors must stay.

Piece Types & Movements

General: Moves one point in any direction but must stay within the palace. This is the most important piece.

Advisor: Moves one point diagonally and must stay within the palace. There are two advisors per side.

Elephant: Moves two points diagonally but cannot cross the river. The elephant's path cannot be blocked by another piece on its diagonal.

Horse: Moves one point orthogonally, then one point diagonally outward. The horse's path can be blocked by a piece adjacent to it.

Chariot: Moves any number of points horizontally or vertically. It is the most powerful piece.

Cannon: Moves like a chariot but captures by jumping over exactly one piece.

Soldier: Moves forward one point. After crossing the river, it can also move sideways. Soldiers cannot move backward.

Winning the Game

The objective is to checkmate your opponent's General. Checkmate occurs when the General is under attack (in check) and has no legal moves to escape. The game can also end if a player resigns or runs out of time in tournament play.

Special Rules

Check: When a General is under attack, it is in check. The player must immediately move to get out of check.

Flying General Rule: Two Generals cannot face each other directly on the same file (column) with no pieces between them.

Perpetual Check: A player cannot give perpetual check without making progress toward checkmate.

Game Settings

Game Rules

Xiangqi is a traditional Chinese strategy board game. Red moves first, and players take turns moving pieces. The goal is to checkmate the opponent's General.

Board Theme

Background Color

Grid Line Color

Grid Line Width

Display Options

Show River Text

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Game Over

More Modes

This mode is not orthodox

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