How do you play xiangqi as a complete beginner?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
Set the board up with the 32 pieces on the intersections, not the squares. Red moves first. Each player tries to checkmate the opposing general, which never leaves its 3×3 palace. You can learn enough to play a real game in about fifteen minutes — the seven piece movements are the whole of it.
The order to learn it in
- The board. Nine files, ten ranks, a river across the middle, a palace at each end.
- The chariot, horse and cannon. These three do almost all the work. Learn them first.
- The general and advisors. Confined to the palace, and the flying general rule.
- The elephant and soldier. Both are limited by the river.
Then play. You will learn more from three losses than from an hour of reading.
What to ignore at first
Openings. Every beginner is told to learn 中炮 and every beginner then loses to a tactic on move twelve. Opening theory only matters once you stop hanging pieces.
Notation too, unless you want to read books. You can play a thousand games without writing one down.
Related questions
How long does xiangqi take to learn?
The rules take fifteen minutes. Playing without blundering takes a few weeks of games. There is no shortcut through the second part.
Do I need to read Chinese to play?
No. The pieces are distinguished by position and by seven distinct characters you learn by shape. Many sets and all online boards offer western symbols. See chess in Chinese.
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