Xiangqi rules and how to play

Xiangqi (象棋), also called Chinese chess, is a two-player strategy board game from China. The board has 9 by 10 lines with a river across the middle, and each side, Red and Black, has 16 pieces that stand on the intersections. Red moves first. The goal is to checkmate the opponent's general, which never leaves its 3×3 palace. The two generals may never face each other on an open file, and a player who has no legal move loses.

The board, the river and the palace

The board is 9 lines wide and 10 lines long, 90 points in total. A river (楚河 漢界) runs across the middle between the fifth and sixth rows. Each side has a palace of 3×3 points with diagonal lines through its center. The general and the advisors must stay inside their palace, and the elephants must stay on their own side of the river.

The pieces and how they move

Red's and Black's pieces move the same way, though some have a different character on each side. On Ttakji you can show them with Chinese characters or with pictures.

How to play, step by step

1. Red moves first. Players take turns moving one piece; landing on an enemy piece captures it.
2. Move each piece by its own rule. The general and the advisors stay in the palace; elephants stay on their side of the river.
3. A move that attacks the enemy general is check. A player in check must answer it at once.
4. Never leave the two generals facing each other on a file with nothing between them.
5. Checkmate the enemy general to win. A player who has no legal move also loses.
6. If the same position appears three times, the player who gave check on every move loses; otherwise the game is a draw.

Check, checkmate and the flying general

A move that attacks the enemy general is check. The player in check must remove the threat at once by moving the general, capturing the attacker or blocking it. A move that leaves your own general under attack, or leaves the two generals facing each other on an open file, is not allowed. A player in check with no way out is checkmated and loses. A player who is not in check but has no legal move also loses: there is no stalemate draw.

Repetition, perpetual check and draws

Ttakji uses a simple repetition rule. When the same position appears for the third time with the same player to move, the game ends. If one player gave check with every move during the repetition, that player loses for perpetual check. Otherwise the game is a draw. The detailed chasing rules used in tournaments are not applied.

• Checkmate: the player who checkmates wins.
• No legal move: the player who cannot move loses.
• Perpetual check: in a threefold repetition, the player who gave check on every move loses.
• Threefold repetition without perpetual check: draw.
• 300 moves in total (both players): draw.
• Neither side has a chariot, horse, cannon or soldier left: draw at once.
• Resignation, running out of time, or a draw agreed by both players.

How xiangqi differs from janggi

Janggi (Korean chess) uses the same 9×10 board but has no river, lets players pass, and decides games without checkmate by points. Its cannon must jump over a piece even to move.

Compare xiangqi, janggi and chess Play janggi

Playing on Ttakji

• Against the AI there is no clock, and you can take back moves.
• Online and friend games use 5 minutes of main time plus 3 byo-yomi periods of 30 seconds. Once main time is up, you have 30 seconds per move, and each period you let run out is used up.
• If all your time runs out, you lose. Your clock keeps running while you are disconnected.
• Red and Black are assigned at random and swap on every rematch.
• You can resign or offer a draw at any time. Undo is only available against the AI.
• Ranked xiangqi games use their own Elo rating, starting at 1,200, and require a Google sign-in.

Frequently asked questions