Board
The Xiangqi board is a rectangular grid of 9 x 10 lines. The board is divided by a "river" that separates the two sides of the board. Each player's pieces start on their side of the board and cannot cross the river unless they are a certain type of piece.
How to set up the board
To set up the chess board, you just need to memorize the pieces described below and then arrange as shown in the image below.
Pieces and movement
There are 32 pieces in Xiangqi, 16 for each player. The pieces are similar in shape and size to those in Western Chess, but they represent different units:
| Piece |
Symbol |
Quantity |
| General (or King) |
 |
 |
1 |
| Advisors (or Guards) |
 |
 |
2 |
| Elephants |
 |
 |
2 |
| Chariots |
 |
 |
2 |
| Cannons |
 |
 |
2 |
| Horses |
 |
 |
2 |
| Soldiers (or Pawns) |
 |
 |
5 |
Rules
The chess pieces are moved according to the following rules:
- General (or King): The most important piece on the board, the general can move one space orthogonally (up, down, left, or right) within the "palace," a 3 x 3 area in the center of the player's side of the board.
- Advisors (or Guards): These pieces also start in the palace and can move one space diagonally within the palace.
- Elephants: These pieces can move two spaces diagonally and are restricted to their own side of the board. They are blocked by the river and cannot cross it.
- Chariots: These pieces can move any number of spaces orthogonally. They cannot jump over other pieces.
- Horses: These pieces can move two spaces orthogonally and then one space diagonally. They can jump over other pieces.
- Cannons: These pieces move like chariots but can only capture by jumping over another piece.
- Soldiers (or Pawns): These pieces move one space forward, and can move two spaces forward on their first move. Once they cross the river, they can also move one space sideways.
Options
There are 4 options: Play alone, Play with AI, Play in room, and Set up the board
- Play alone: Players press on the button "Play alone" on the front page and practice alone.
- Train with computer: Players play directly on the front page. There are 5 levels: Newbie, Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest.
- Play in room: Players press on the button "Play now", host a new room with random Room code, and create a password for you and your friend, also capable of Inviting friend to play by sending the link. Players can also access the page "Rooms" to enter a hosted room. Players can choose Red Side or Black Side, Red moves first.
- Set up the puzzle: Players press on the link "Puzzle". In this option, players can arrange the chess pieces and press "Capture the puzzle" to challenge friends.
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