Play Chinese Chess Online
About Chinese Chess (Xiangqi)
1. What Is Chinese Chess? Chinese Chess, also known as Xiangqi, is a classic two-player strategy board game with deep cultural roots in China. With a history spanning centuries, it remains one of the most popular traditional games in Asia.
2. A Historic Strategy Game Chinese Chess is considered one of the oldest board games in the world, alongside Go and Western Chess. It’s a timeless brain game that blends strategy, logic, and foresight.
3. The Board and Pieces
- Board: The board consists of 9 vertical lines and 10 horizontal lines, forming 90 intersections. A river called the “Chu River and Han Border” separates the two sides in the middle.
- Pieces: There are 32 pieces in total—16 red and 16 black. Each side has: 1 General (King), 2 Advisors (Guards), 2 Elephants, 2 Horses (Knights), 2 Chariots (Rooks), 2 Cannons, and 5 Soldiers (Pawns).
4. How the Pieces Move
- General (King): Moves one step vertically or horizontally within the 3×3 palace area.
- Advisor (Guard): Moves one step diagonally within the palace.
- Elephant: Moves two points diagonally (“elephant's eye”) and cannot cross the river.
- Horse (Knight): Moves in an L-shape but is blocked if the adjacent point (the “horse leg”) is occupied.
- Chariot (Rook): Moves any number of steps horizontally or vertically without jumping over other pieces.
- Cannon: Moves like the Chariot but must jump over one piece to capture.
- Soldier (Pawn): Moves forward one step; after crossing the river, it may also move sideways but never backward.
5. How to Win
- Checkmate: You win by putting the opponent’s General in check with no escape.
- Stalemate: If the opponent has no legal moves and their General is trapped, you win.
- Draw: The game is a draw if neither side can force a win.
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