Play Xiangqi — Free

What is Xiangqi?

Xiangqi, usually called Chinese Chess in English, is one of the most played board games on Earth — a two-player strategy duel enjoyed by hundreds of millions of people across China, Vietnam and the wider world. Like Western chess it is a battle between two armies whose single goal is to trap the enemy commander, here called the general. But the board and the pieces have a character all their own. Xiangqi is played on the lines and intersections of a grid nine files wide and ten ranks tall, and a blank horizontal band across the middle — the river — separates the two sides. Each general sits at home inside a marked three-by-three palace and, along with its advisors, may never leave it.

Each side commands sixteen pieces: one general, two advisors, two elephants, two horses, two chariots, two cannons and five soldiers. Several of them will feel familiar to a chess player — the chariot slides like a rook and the horse leaps like a knight — while others are unique to the game. The elephant guards the home side but cannot cross the river; the soldier grows stronger once it does; and the famous cannon rolls freely yet can only capture by leaping over a single screening piece. Add the quirky "flying general" rule, which forbids the two generals from staring at each other down an open file, and you have a game that is quick to learn but endlessly deep. On vygam you play the red pieces against a built-in engine, with every legal move, check and checkmate handled automatically.

How to Play

Each of the seven kinds of piece moves in its own way. Learn these patterns and you know the game:

• The general (帥 / 將) moves one point up, down, left or right and must stay inside its three-by-three palace.
• The advisor (仕 / 士) moves one point diagonally and is also locked inside the palace, shielding the general.
• The elephant (相 / 象) moves exactly two points diagonally, may never cross the river, and is blocked if the midpoint it steps over — its "eye" — is occupied.
• The horse (馬) moves one point straight then one diagonally, like a knight, but is blocked if the point beside it in the straight direction — its "leg" — is occupied.
• The chariot (車) moves any number of points in a straight line along ranks and files, exactly like a rook.
• The cannon (砲 / 炮) moves like a chariot but captures only by jumping exactly one screen piece of either colour to land on the first enemy beyond it.
• The soldier (兵 / 卒) moves one point forward; after it crosses the river it may also step one point sideways, but it can never move backward.

Three features of the board shape every game. The palace is the marked square with a diagonal cross where the general and advisors are confined, so your commander can never wander into the open. The river divides the two armies: elephants stop at its bank, while soldiers gain their sideways step only after wading across. The flying-general rule states that the two generals may never sit on the same file with nothing between them — a move that opens such a face-off is illegal, and a cleverly cleared file can itself deliver mate. You win by checkmate: putting the enemy general under attack with no legal escape. If the player to move has no legal move at all, even without being in check, that too is a loss for them.

Xiangqi Tips & Strategy

Xiangqi rewards fast, active development and sharp attention to the cannon and horse. These four ideas will lift your play well beyond the beginner stage.

1. Develop chariots and cannons early

   The chariot is by far the strongest piece, and a game is often decided by which side gets its two chariots working first. Clear their files, avoid burying them behind your own pieces, and look to double them on an open or half-open file pointing at the enemy palace. Cannons are most dangerous early too, especially aimed straight down the central file at the general, so contest the centre before your opponent seizes it.

2. Respect the cannon's need for a screen

   A cannon captures only by jumping one piece, which makes screens the whole story. Your own pieces can become the platform the enemy cannon fires over, so watch what you leave in its line. Conversely, you can neutralise a threatening cannon simply by removing the screen it relies on, or by refusing to give it one. Counting screens on every open file is a habit that separates strong players from weak ones.

3. Keep the palace defended

   Advisors and elephants never leave home, and that is their strength — they form the wall that keeps your general safe. Try not to trade both advisors away, because a general stripped of its guards is horribly exposed to chariots and cannons. When you attack, aim to peel away the enemy's defenders first; a single missing advisor or elephant often turns a solid position into a mating net.

4. Use the flying-general threat

   Because the two generals may not face each other on an open file, the central file is a live weapon. If you can clear the pieces between the generals, your own general suddenly "pins" the enemy along that file, restricting its moves and setting up tactics. Many quick wins in Xiangqi come from a chariot or cannon sacrifice that opens the file and lets the flying-general rule finish the job.

Xiangqi vs Western Chess

If you already play chess, Xiangqi will feel like a cousin who grew up somewhere else. The aim is the same — checkmate the enemy commander — and the chariot and horse map neatly onto the rook and knight. But the differences run deep. Xiangqi pieces sit on the intersections of the lines rather than inside the squares, so a nine-by-ten grid actually offers ninety playing points. There is no queen, no bishop pair sweeping the long diagonals, and no castling. Instead the general huddles inside a tiny palace with two advisors, the elephants defend but cannot cross the halfway river, and the cannon introduces a capturing method found in no Western piece.

These rules give Xiangqi a distinct rhythm. Games tend to open sharply, with chariots and cannons swinging into action within the first few moves and the central file becoming a battleground almost immediately. Because advisors and elephants are stuck on defence, attacks on the general are direct and often decisive, and the flying-general rule adds tactical shots that have no equivalent in chess. Endgames revolve around whether a lone chariot or a cannon-and-soldier can break through a palace still guarded by its advisors. Many players enjoy both games precisely because the strategic instincts transfer while the specific tactics feel fresh — learning one deepens your appreciation of the other.

Playing the Computer Opponent

vygam's Xiangqi opponent is a genuine engine rather than a set of scripted replies. On every turn it looks ahead through the tree of possible moves, scoring each resulting position by material — chariots are prized, cannons and horses valued next, advisors and elephants counted as defenders, and soldiers rewarded for crossing the river — plus a light sense of where pieces belong. It uses alpha-beta pruning with a strict search limit, so it answers quickly without ever freezing your browser, and it will never make an illegal move, leave its own general in check, or walk into a flying-general face-off.

Three difficulty levels tune the challenge. Easy looks only a short distance ahead, so it plays sensibly but lets tactics slip — ideal for learning the pieces. Medium searches deeper and punishes loose development or an undefended general. Hard looks further still and defends its palace stubbornly, so beating it takes real planning. You can start a new game, take back your last move, or switch sides to let the computer move first at any time, and your running tally of red and black wins is saved right in your browser so your record survives between visits.

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