What is xiangqi?
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
Xiangqi (象棋, pronounced roughly shyahng-chee) is the Chinese member of the chess family, played by more people than any other board game of its kind. Two players move 16 pieces each on the intersections of a 9×10 grid, aiming to checkmate the opposing general. It shares an ancestor with western chess but is not a variant of it.
What makes it different
Three things have no equivalent in western chess, and they change everything:
- The cannon moves like a rook but captures only by jumping exactly one piece in between.
- The palace is a 3×3 box the general and advisors may never leave, so you always know where the target is.
- The river divides the board: elephants never cross it, and soldiers gain sideways movement when they do.
How a game is won
By checkmate, the same as chess. Unlike chess, stalemate is a loss for the player with no legal move, not a draw — so there is no stalemate escape and endgames are far more decisive.
Repetition is also handled differently: a player who checks or chases forever is required to vary, and loses if they do not.
Related questions
Is xiangqi the same as Chinese chess?
Yes. 象棋 is the Chinese name; "Chinese chess" is the usual English one. They are the same game.
Is xiangqi harder than chess?
Not harder, differently hard. The board is bigger and the general is confined, so attacks are more concrete and calculation matters earlier. See xiangqi vs chess.
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