Xiangqi (Chinese chess) is a two-player strategy game played on a board of 9 files and 10 ranks — 90 intersections — with 32 pieces split equally between the two sides. Red always moves first and players alternate one move per turn. The goal is to capture the enemy General: whoever takes the opponent's General wins immediately, and if 400 moves pass without a General captured, the game ends in a draw.
Play now — it's freeThe Xiangqi board has 9 files and 10 ranks — 90 intersection points — and pieces are placed on the intersections themselves, not inside squares. A "river" divides the board into two opposing halves.
Each player commands 16 pieces: one General, two Advisors, two Elephants, two Horses, two Chariots, two Cannons and five Soldiers — 32 pieces in a full game.
Red always moves first, then the two players alternate one move per turn. A move is either sliding a piece to an empty point or capturing an enemy piece by taking its place.
There are no cards, dice or luck of any kind: the outcome is decided entirely by the players' decisions, move by move.
Every piece has its own movement pattern; most move orthogonally along the files and ranks, except the Advisor and the Elephant, which move diagonally:
| Piece | Per side | How it moves |
|---|---|---|
| General (帥 / 將) | 1 | One point orthogonally; never leaves the palace |
| Advisor (仕 / 士) | 2 | One point diagonally, inside the palace only |
| Elephant (相 / 象) | 2 | Exactly two points diagonally; never crosses the river |
| Horse (馬) | 2 | One point straight then one point diagonally (an L-shape) |
| Chariot (車) | 2 | Any distance orthogonally |
| Cannon (炮 / 砲) | 2 | Moves like the Chariot but captures by jumping exactly one intervening piece |
| Soldier (兵 / 卒) | 5 | One point forward; after crossing the river it may also step sideways |
Captures are made by moving onto the enemy piece's point; the captured piece leaves the board for good. There is no promotion at the far rank: a Soldier across the river only gains its sideways step, never promotes.
Two blocking rules limit the diagonal movers: the Elephant cannot jump when the midpoint between its start and destination is occupied ("the Elephant's eye"), and the Horse cannot jump when the point adjacent to it in its straight direction is occupied ("hobbling the Horse's leg").
The "palace" is the 9-point area (the three central files × three ranks) at each player's back edge; neither the General nor the Advisors may ever leave it.
The "river" separates the two halves of the board and directly affects two pieces: the Elephant never crosses it and stays on its own half, while a Soldier gains a sideways step once across it, in addition to moving forward.
A defining Xiangqi rule: the two opposing Generals may never stand on the same file with no piece between them.
The engine enforces this strictly: any move that would create such a facing — even unintentionally — is rejected as illegal and cannot be played at all.
The General is the only piece that decides the game: the player who captures the opponent's General wins, and the game ends the instant the General leaves the board.
If 400 moves pass without a General captured, the game ends in a draw with no winner.
No points are counted for captures or pieces: a game ends in a win or a draw — nothing else.
Keep your General inside the palace behind your Advisors and Elephants — an exposed General is a direct target.
Develop your Chariot early onto an open file; its full range along files and ranks makes it your longest-reaching piece.
The Cannon captures only over a screen — let the opponent's own pieces serve as its screen instead of building one with yours.
Never trap your Horse between your own pieces; a blocked adjacent point paralyses it.
A Soldier across the river becomes dangerous: it can step sideways and chase enemy pieces from both flanks.
32 pieces — 16 per side: one General, two Advisors, two Elephants, two Horses, two Chariots, two Cannons and five Soldiers.
Two players only — Red and Black. Red always moves first, then they alternate one move per turn.
By capturing the opponent's General — the game ends the moment the General is taken. If 400 moves pass with no General captured, the game is a draw.
The Cannon slides like the Chariot, but to capture it must jump over exactly one intervening piece sitting between it and its target.
No — the Elephant moves two points diagonally and always stays on its own half; it also cannot jump if the midpoint of its path is occupied.
Never. A Soldier moves one point forward, and after crossing the river it may additionally step sideways — but never backward.
The two Generals may never face each other on the same file with no piece between them; any move that creates this facing is rejected as illegal.
Yes — you can play Xiangqi online free at xiangqi.yeeqia.com directly in your browser, no download or sign-up required to start a game.
Yes — the site is mobile-first and runs in any modern Android or iPhone browser, with full Arabic support.