Play Chinese chess on a 9x10 board with a river and two palaces, versus a three-level computer or a friend on the same screen.
Xiangqi is Chinese chess, and it plays quite differently from the version most people know. Pieces sit on the points where lines meet, not inside squares. A river runs across the middle of the 9x10 board, each General is confined to a small palace, and cannons capture by leaping over exactly one piece.
This version is part of Christopher Müller’s PaperGames collection. You can face a computer opponent with three levels or play a friend on one screen.
The goal
Red moves first, and each turn you move one piece. Land on an enemy piece to capture it. You win by checkmating the opposing General, or by leaving your opponent with no legal move at all. There is no stalemate draw in xiangqi, so trapping the General without check still wins.
The two Generals may never stand on the same open file facing each other, and the game blocks any move that would allow it. Endless checks or chases that repeat a position three times are not allowed either.
How each piece moves
- General: one point straight, and it must stay in its palace.
- Advisors: one point diagonally, also inside the palace.
- Elephants: exactly two points diagonally, and they cannot cross the river. A piece in the middle of that diagonal blocks them.
- Horses: one point straight, then one diagonally outward. A piece on that first point blocks the move.
- Chariots: as far as you like along a straight line.
- Cannons: travel the same way as chariots, but to capture they must hop over exactly one piece of either color.
- Soldiers: one point forward. Once they reach the far side of the river, sideways steps are allowed too.
Strategy notes
A central cannon is a popular opening. Shifting a cannon onto the central file points it straight at the opposing General, using the soldier in between as its screen. Bring your horses out early, before the board gets crowded and they get blocked.
Chariots are your strongest pieces, so get them onto open files where they can reach both sides of the river. Keep an eye on enemy cannons, because any piece between a cannon and your piece can become its jumping platform, even one of yours. The no-facing rule can help you too. With your General on the middle file, an enemy piece standing between the two Generals is stuck there, since moving it would leave the two Generals facing each other.
Good to know
A Moves button shows the move list in coordinate notation. Undo takes back a move and Resign ends the game. If you are new to the pieces, the symbol set is a big help, and your choice is remembered next time. The game handles perpetual check, perpetual chase and repetition draws automatically.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move a piece | Tab to the board, arrow keys to reach a point, Enter on your piece and again on its target | Click your piece, then click the point it should move to | Tap your piece, then tap its target point |
| Switch between character and symbol pieces | — | Click "Switch to symbols" or "Switch to characters" | Tap "Switch to symbols" or "Switch to characters" |
| Show or hide the move list | — | Click "Moves" | Tap "Moves" |
| Choose side and opponent | — | Pick red or black and a level, then click "New game" | Pick red or black and a level, then tap "New game" |
| Undo or resign | — | Click "Undo" or "Resign" | Tap "Undo" or "Resign" |
Xiangqi FAQ
Is Xiangqi one or two players?
Both. Play red or black against the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, or play a friend on the same device by taking turns. Red always makes the first move.
Does it work on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. Tap or click your piece, then tap the point it should move to. Keyboard play works too: Tab to the board, use the arrow keys, and press Enter on your piece and again on its target.
Does the game save if I close it?
Yes. The current game is stored in your browser, so you can come back to it later on the same device. Your choice of character or symbol pieces is remembered as well.
I cannot read Chinese. Can I still play?
Yes. Press Switch to symbols and each piece becomes a small picture, such as a horse, an elephant or a cannon. You can switch back to the characters at any point during a game.
