Xiangqi

About this board game

Xiangqi, commonly called Chinese Chess, is a two-player board game with a listed play time of 60 minutes. Played on the intersections of a board nine lines wide and ten lines long, it takes place across two territories divided by a central river.

Each side commands 16 pieces, including a General or Marshal, Advisors, Chariots, Cannons, Horses, Elephants or Ministers, and Soldiers. The objective is to capture the opposing General, while the two Generals may not see each other along an open file.

The board’s geography shapes every move. Each territory contains a three-by-three palace where its General and Advisors must remain, while Elephants or Ministers cannot cross the river and Soldiers gain the ability to move sideways after crossing it.

• Chariots move any distance orthogonally.
• Cannons move like Chariots but must leap over an intervening piece to capture.
• Horses move one point orthogonally, then one point diagonally.
• Elephants or Ministers move two points diagonally.
• Soldiers move one point forward, gaining sideways movement after crossing the river.

Pieces capture as they move and do not jump, with the Cannon providing the distinctive exception. The game draws closely on ancient Chinese military strategy and shares ancestry with European Chess through the ancient Indian game of Chaturanga.

The modern Xiangqi set dates back to the Tang dynasty, with a listed release year of 762. Sets range from inexpensive versions with plastic or low-grade wooden pieces and paper boards to elaborate sets made with jade or high-grade wood and wooden boards. Related variants include Banqi, Giog, Mini Xiang Qi, San Guo Qi, Qi Guo Xiang Qi, and Changgi.