Xiangqi maker

How to play

1. Set up each side in the standard pattern: the general in the middle of its palace, advisors and elephants on either side, horses and chariots on the back line, cannons two rows forward and five soldiers three rows forward.
2. Red moves first. On your turn, move one of your pieces as its move allows, then let your opponent play.
3. Most pieces capture by moving onto an opposing piece. A cannon captures only by jumping over exactly one piece to reach the piece beyond; without a jump it moves like a chariot.
4. Elephants never cross the river, and a horse can be blocked when a piece stands next to it on its first step.
5. The generals may not face each other on an open line, with no piece between them. A move that leaves them facing is illegal.
6. The game ends when a general is trapped and cannot escape capture. Agree before you start how to handle a draw.

Tips

• Print the board on card or thick paper so that it lies flat and the pieces stay where you put them.
• For a first game, keep the legend beside the board until everyone knows how each piece moves.
• Use a large-print sheet for younger players, with a single board on each page.
• Black-ink copies still work: red pieces get a dashed inner ring, so the two sides stay distinct without colour.

Where it comes from

Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, is played on the crossings of a board of nine by ten lines, with a river across the middle. The river carries the inscription 楚河 漢界, which means "Chu River, Han border". Each side has seven kinds of piece, and each kind has its own character on the red side and on the black side.

Played in: East Asia

Questions