Chinese Chess Online: Play Xiangqi in Your Browser
Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, is a two-player strategy game on a 9×10 board divided by a river. Each side has 16 pieces; checkmate the opponent's general to win. Play it free against the AI, a friend by link or a random opponent.
- Play vs AIPractice against the computer
- Random matchOne-on-one against anyone, anywhere
- Play a friendInvite one friend with a link
Xiangqi at a glance
- Players
- 2
- Board
- 9×10 lines (90 points); pieces stand on the intersections; a river splits the board in the middle
- Pieces
- 16 per side: 1 general, 2 advisors, 2 elephants, 2 horses, 2 chariots, 2 cannons, 5 soldiers
- First move
- Red moves first
- Goal
- Checkmate the opponent's general; a player with no legal move also loses
- Generals
- They may never face each other on a file with no piece between them
- Repetition
- The third repetition of a position ends the game: perpetual check loses, otherwise it is a draw
How to play xiangqi
Each side has 16 pieces on a 9×10 board with a river in the middle, and Red moves first. Generals and advisors stay in their palace, elephants never cross the river, and the two generals may never face each other. Checkmate the enemy general to win; a player with no legal move loses.
Full rules and FAQ How each piece moves Repetition and perpetual check
Xiangqi vs janggi vs chess
Xiangqi and janggi (Korean chess) share a 9×10 board and similar pieces, but xiangqi has a river, its cannon jumps only to capture, the generals may not face each other and no one can pass.