Learn Xiangqi: Tutorial

The General (also called King) moves one step orthogonally -- up, down, left, or right -- but must stay within the palace (3x3 area).

The General is the most important piece. If your General is checkmated (no escape from attack), you lose the game.

In this position, the Red General at the center of the palace can move to any adjacent intersection within the palace bounds.

The Advisor moves one step diagonally and must remain within the palace. Each player starts with two Advisors flanking the General.

Because the palace is only 3x3, the Advisor has a limited set of positions: the 5 diagonal intersections of the palace.

Advisors serve as defensive shields for the General. In this position, the Red Advisor at the center of the palace can move to any of the four corners of the palace.

The Elephant moves exactly two steps diagonally (forming a larger diagonal leap). It cannot jump over pieces -- if the intermediate diagonal square is occupied, the Elephant is blocked.

The Elephant cannot cross the river. This confines it to its own half of the board, making it a purely defensive piece.

Each player starts with two Elephants. In this position, the Red Elephant can move to several diagonal destinations on its own side of the river.

The Horse moves in an L-shape: one step orthogonally, then one step diagonally outward. Unlike the chess Knight, the Horse can be blocked -- if the orthogonal square is occupied, that direction is impassable.

This blocking rule is called the "hobbling leg." It means the Horse is less powerful when surrounded by pieces.

In this position, the Red Horse in the center has up to 8 possible destinations, but any piece on an adjacent orthogonal square would block the moves in that direction.

The Chariot slides any number of squares orthogonally -- horizontally or vertically -- just like the Rook in Western chess. It cannot jump over pieces.

The Chariot is the most powerful piece in Xiangqi. It is not restricted by the river or the palace and can move freely across the entire board.

Each player starts with two Chariots in the corners. In this position, the Red Chariot can slide along the entire row or column until it hits the board edge or another piece.

The Cannon has a unique movement: it slides orthogonally like a Chariot when moving to an empty square, but to capture, it must jump over exactly one piece (called a "screen" or "platform").

The piece jumped over is not captured -- only the piece behind it is taken. The Cannon cannot capture without a screen, and cannot move to an empty square by jumping.

In this position, the Red Cannon can move to any empty square along its row or column. To capture the Black piece, it jumps over the screen piece in between.

The Soldier moves one step forward before crossing the river. After crossing the river, the Soldier gains the ability to move one step sideways (left or right) in addition to forward.

Soldiers never move backward. Unlike chess Pawns, Soldiers capture the same way they move -- straight ahead (or sideways after crossing).

There is no promotion in Xiangqi. Soldiers that reach the last row can only move sideways.

In this position, the Red Soldier before the river can only move forward, while the Red Soldier after the river can move forward or sideways.

The two Generals must never face each other on the same column (file) with no pieces in between. This is called the Flying General rule.

A General cannot move onto the opposing General's file unless at least one piece stands between them, and a piece cannot leave that file if it is the only one between them. This rule creates many tactical motifs, especially in the endgame.

In this position, the Red General cannot move onto the center file, because the Black General stands on it with no pieces in between.

The game ends when one player's General is checkmated -- under attack with no legal move to escape. There is no stalemate rule in Xiangqi; if a player has no legal moves, they lose.

In this position, the Black General is trapped in the corner of the palace. The Red Chariot delivers check along the back rank, and the Black General has no escape -- all adjacent squares are either occupied by friendly pieces, out of the palace, or still under attack.

Red wins!