Xiangqi · Rules and setup
Win by checkmate or stalemate: a side with no legal move loses. You must escape check and keep your general safe. Generals cannot face each other on a clear file.
Xiangqi · 0
2–2 players · Turn based; no clock
WANGO casual rules v1; traditional piece glyphs
Winning and ending the game
Win by checkmate or stalemate: a side with no legal move loses. You must escape check and keep your general safe. Generals cannot face each other on a clear file.
Setup
Xiangqi · Basic Table Setup
Center of the table
- 9×10 intersections, a river and two palaces
- 32 face-up pieces; Red moves first
Each player
- 16 per side: one general, two advisors, elephants, horses, chariots and cannons, and five soldiers
- Humans use account avatars; AI opponents are marked separately
WANGO casual rules v1; traditional piece glyphs
Turn sequence
Red moves first. First check whether your own general is under attack, then select your own piece. → Check the horse's leg, the elephant's eye, the cannon screen, the river boundary, and the palace, then select a legal intersection. → Landing on an intersection occupied by an enemy piece captures it; afterward check for checkmate, stalemate, and casual-draw conditions.
Check general safety
Red moves first. Check attacks on your general, then select a friendly piece.
A move while in check must remove the check.
Check movement and blockers
Check horse legs, elephant eyes, cannon screens, the river and palaces, then select a legal intersection.
You cannot land on a friendly piece.
Move and check the result
Landing on an enemy piece captures it. Then check for checkmate, stalemate and casual draw conditions.
Otherwise pass the turn. Checkmate ends the game without capturing the general.
Otherwise pass the turn. Checkmate ends the game without capturing the general.
Scoring and settlement
Site strategies discuss tradeoffs in the shown position and do not promise any route always wins.
Ending and victory
Win by checkmate or stalemate: a side with no legal move loses. You must escape check and keep your general safe. Generals cannot face each other on a clear file.
- Win by checkmate or stalemate: a side with no legal move loses. You must escape check and keep your general safe. Generals cannot face each other on a clear file.
Common rules and exceptions
How do chariots, horses and elephants move?
Chariots follow clear ranks or files. Horses move in an L shape and cannot jump a blocked first orthogonal step. Elephants move two diagonally, require a clear midpoint and cannot cross the river.
Why do cannon captures need a screen?
A non-capturing cannon moves on a clear line. Captures need exactly one intervening piece of either side as a screen.
What limits advisors, generals and soldiers?
Advisors move one diagonal step in their palace; generals move one orthogonal step there. Soldiers move forward, and may also move sideways after crossing the river, never backward.
How do facing generals, checkmate and stalemate work?
Generals cannot face on a clear file. Keep your general safe after every move. A side with no legal move loses: checkmate if in check, stalemate otherwise.
How do repetition, perpetual check and 120 plies work?
On the third occurrence of the same board and side to move, a sole side checking on every move in the repeated segment loses; other repetition draws. Draw after 120 consecutive plies without capture; one move per side is two plies. Checkmate and stalemate take priority. Full tournament chasing rules are not implemented.
Which play modes are available?
AI practice, local two-player play and friend rooms are available. AI offers hints and undo. Friends sign in and both ready up, then may resign or offer a draw for the other player to accept. Friend games have no clock or rankings.
Follow a real sequence
Teaching position: a red cannon and black horse share a file with exactly one red soldier between them; Red’s general is safe.
Count the screen
Teaching position: a red cannon and black horse share a file with exactly one red soldier between them; Red’s general is safe.
The red soldier can serve as a screen; it need not be an enemy piece.
Capturing and non-capturing cannon moves differ.
Check and capture
Red selects the cannon and clicks the horse, assuming no other blockers or check issues.
The cannon captures over one screen, then Black moves.
With zero or two intervening pieces, this capture is illegal.
Remember for your first game
- Supports AI practice, local two-player play and friend rooms. Friend games have no clock or rankings. Repetition and perpetual check use casual rules, not full tournament chasing adjudication.
- Red moves first. Check attacks on your general, then select a friendly piece.
- Chariots follow clear ranks or files. Horses move in an L shape and cannot jump a blocked first orthogonal step. Elephants move two diagonally, require a clear midpoint and cannot cross the river.
Supports AI practice, local two-player play and friend rooms. Friend games have no clock or rankings. Repetition and perpetual check use casual rules, not full tournament chasing adjudication.
Getting started: questions and answers
Who is Xiangqi for?
Capturing one attacker may leave another chariot or cannon attacking.
What should first-time Xiangqi players remember?
WANGO casual rules v1; board face uses Traditional Chinese characters; the player count and duration on this page are shown according to this site's trial-play mode.