Xiangqi
A river between two kingdoms, a palace on each bank.
- Board
- 9 × 10 lines
- Pieces
- 16
- Codified
- Northern Song
Meet the game
Xiangqi took its modern form during the Northern Song dynasty. Pieces sit on intersections rather than squares, and a river divides the board. Generals confined to their palace, elephants that cannot cross the river, horses that can be blocked, cannons that capture by jumping — these rules make the game fast and direct.
Its liveliest tradition is the streetside endgame poster: a sheet of paper, a few pieces, and passers-by stopping for half a day.
Beginner questions
Learn Chinese chess: the palace, river, piece moves, blocked horse legs and facing generals. Follow xiangqi lessons, try tactics and practice legal moves online.
Why is a horse move sometimes blocked?
A horse first steps one point orthogonally, then one diagonally. A piece on that first point blocks the move. The movement lesson demonstrates the blocked-leg position step by step.
Can the two generals face each other?
The generals cannot face each other on the same file with no piece between them. Before moving an intervening piece, check whether it exposes the generals or leaves your own general attacked.
Tutorials
All tutorials →Xiangqi Lesson 1: Pieces, Moves and Winning
One consolidated introduction: learn each basic rule once, inspect horse-leg, elephant-eye, cannon-screen and river examples, then play an opening sequence.
First steps · 9 steps · 45 min
Lesson 2: Read Moves and Develop Your Pieces
The old introduction has been merged into Lesson 1. Learn notation, development, clear chariot routes and the purpose of an opening sequence.
Next steps · 4 steps · 25 min
Lesson 3: Captures, Protection and Exchanges
Learn protection, recapture and exchange through a complete move sequence and a pre-move checklist.
Next steps · 4 steps · 25 min
Lesson 4: Respond to Check and Review a Game
Practise moving the general, capturing the attacker and blocking a chariot, then learn to recognize mate and review mistakes.
Next steps · 4 steps · 30 min
Sections
Puzzles
Xiangqi puzzles: read the goal, play your answer, then see why with a step-by-step replay. New puzzles daily, plus rule questions.
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Glossary
Every common Xiangqi term on one page, each with a plain explanation and an example, linked back to the beginner lessons.
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History
How Xiangqi began and how its rules changed, in a short timeline — then try it yourself in the lessons and practice pages.
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Play
Three engine levels, or two players on one screen. Rules are adjudicated by Fairy-Stockfish, running in your browser.
Play →Loading board…
This browser can't run the engine in-page (SharedArrayBuffer needed). Two-player mode still works.