Chinese Chess

Classic Chinese Chess (Xiangqi). Full rules engine, multiple AI difficulties, traditional ink-style board.

How to Play

Click your piece to select, then click a target position to move. Red moves first. Checkmate the opponent's General to win.

Objective

Red and Black take turns moving pieces. The goal is to checkmate the opponent's General (将/帅) — put it under attack with no escape. Each piece type has unique movement rules following traditional Xiangqi conventions including horse blocking, elephant eye blocking, and cannon jumping. Expert difficulty enables iterative deepening, transposition table, and an opening book.

Controls

• Click your piece to select it (legal moves are highlighted)
• Click a target position to complete the move
• General (帅/将): moves one step orthogonally within the palace
• Advisor (仕/士): moves one step diagonally within the palace
• Elephant (相/象): moves two steps diagonally, cannot cross river, blocked by piece at midpoint
• Horse (马): moves like an L-shape, blocked by adjacent piece (horse leg)
• Chariot (车): moves any distance in a straight line
• Cannon (炮): moves like chariot, but captures by jumping over exactly one piece
• Soldier (兵/卒): moves forward only; after crossing river, can also move sideways
• vs AI / 2 Players: switch in settings

Tips & Strategy

• Develop your Chariots early — they are the strongest attacking pieces
• Horse + Cannon combinations are powerful; watch for horse leg blocks
• Cannons are strongest in the opening (many pieces to jump over), weaker in endgames
• Soldiers gain significant value after crossing the river — don't sacrifice them lightly
• Remember the Flying General rule: the two Generals cannot face each other on the same column
• Easy AI is great for beginners; Hard AI requires solid fundamentals
• Expert AI uses an opening book and deep search — play carefully

Frequently Asked Questions

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