Play Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) Online

Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, has been played for over two thousand years and remains the most popular board game in China. The board splits at the Chu River, and each side hides a palace where the General must stay. A 2022 Frontiers in Neuroscience study compared 22 professional Chinese chess players with 21 novices and found training-related differences in regional spontaneous brain activity. The challenge lies in coordinating seven piece types, each with different movement rules, to corner the enemy General. Click a piece, see its legal moves, and start your first game in the browser right now.

1. Red moves first. Click any red piece to highlight every point it can legally reach. Begin by inspecting the Chariots, Horses, and Cannons rather than moving at random. The highlighted points teach each movement pattern while preventing an illegal selection.
2. Select a highlighted point to complete the move. The board updates, and the computer replies. Pause after that reply and identify which files, ranks, and palace entrances the last move now attacks before choosing again.
3. Keep your General inside the 3x3 palace. It moves one point orthogonally and never crosses the river. Advisors also remain in the palace, so use them to cover diagonal approaches while your General handles open orthogonal points.
4. Use the Cannon to capture by jumping exactly one piece, called the screen, before landing on the target. A Cannon moves along an empty rank or file without a screen when it does not capture. Check the complete line each time because adding or removing one screen changes the threat.
5. Win by checkmating the enemy General so it has no legal escape from a direct attack. Before declaring a mating idea, test every palace point, possible capture, defensive interposition, and flying general restriction. A direct attack alone counts as check, while a position with no legal answer produces checkmate.

• The board has 9 columns and 10 rows, and players place pieces on line intersections rather than inside squares. The river separates the fifth and sixth ranks. It changes Soldier movement and stops Elephants, but Chariots, Horses, and Cannons may cross it.
• Each General stays inside its palace and cannot face the enemy General on an open file. If a move removes the final piece between them, that move exposes a capture under the flying general rule and therefore cannot leave the moving side in that position.
• Advisors move one point diagonally within the palace. Elephants move exactly two points diagonally, cannot cross the river, and need a clear midpoint. An occupied midpoint blocks the Elephant, just as an occupied leg point can block a Horse.
• Horses move one point orthogonally and then one point diagonally outward, creating an L-shaped destination. They do not jump. A piece on the first orthogonal point blocks the Horse's leg and can remove two apparent destinations at once.
• Chariots move any number of unobstructed points along a rank or file. Cannons use the same movement on quiet moves, but capture only by jumping one screen. Zero screens or two screens make a Cannon capture illegal.
• Soldiers move one point forward before the river. After crossing, they may move one point forward or sideways, but never backward. Players alternate one move at a time, cannot capture their own pieces, and must answer any attack on their General.

• Develop your Chariots early. Clear a file or rank so each Chariot can influence the center and switch wings quickly. A Chariot trapped behind its own Horse and Elephant contributes little, while an active one can attack a loose piece and cover a palace entrance in the same move.
• Keep useful screens for your Cannons. A central Soldier can support a long-range capture, but the same screen may disappear after an exchange. Trace the entire line before committing a Cannon, and consider whether your opponent can move the screen to cancel the threat or reveal an attack on your own General.
• Guard the river crossings. Soldiers gain sideways movement after they cross, so a connected group near the river can restrict several files. Challenge an advanced Soldier before it reaches your palace area, and avoid spending a valuable piece merely to stop a threat that an Advisor can contain.
• Check the flying general line before every forcing move. Moving the only intervening piece can expose your General even when that piece gives check elsewhere. Use the rule offensively too: pin an intervening defender to the file, then attack it with a Chariot or Cannon so the enemy cannot move it freely.
• Count material and activity before trading. A Chariot usually offers broad control, while Horses and Cannons depend more on blockers and screens. Trade when the exchange removes an active attacker, opens a useful line, or supports mate. Decline a nominally even trade when it leaves your remaining pieces boxed in.

• Shogi: Japanese chess uses a 9x9 board and lets players return captured pieces through drops. Promotions and pieces in hand make its attacks feel different from Xiangqi's open files, river crossings, and Cannon screens. Try it when you want another regional chess family game with frequent tactical changes.
• Chess: Western chess uses an 8x8 board with castling, en passant, and promotion. Its sliding Rooks resemble Chariots, but its Kings can leave their starting areas and it has no Cannon or river. Playing both games helps you notice how board geometry changes development and king safety.

• The river and palaces give every attack a clear geography. Players can read where Soldiers gain power, where Generals may escape, and where a Chariot can invade. Those fixed zones turn a broad board into a sequence of concrete local problems.
• Cannons make occupied lines as important as open lines. A friendly or enemy piece can become a screen, and one ordinary move may create or erase a capture. Players who enjoy recalculating tactical relationships find a fresh question on nearly every turn.
• The seven piece types support distinct jobs. Chariots control distance, Horses attack around corners, Elephants and Advisors protect restricted areas, and Soldiers change after the river. Coordinating those roles gives each army a recognizable shape.
• The flying general rule keeps palace safety active even when many pieces remain. A central blocker can serve as both shield and tactical target. This direct connection between the two Generals rewards careful line checking and creates decisive finishes that feel earned.

Play Xiangqi online for free on Clasica Games without setting up a board or memorizing every destination first. The interface highlights legal moves and applies palace, river, Horse leg, Cannon screen, and flying general restrictions. Use those cues as a learning aid, then start predicting the highlights before you click. A short game against the computer gives you room to test a Chariot file, a Cannon battery, and a Soldier crossing at your own pace.

Xiangqi asks you to balance direct attacks with exact General safety. Learn one piece relationship at a time: activate a Chariot, preserve a useful Cannon screen, and watch what changes when a Soldier crosses the river. Review each computer reply before moving again. Start a game above, use the highlighted points to verify your calculation, and work toward a checkmate that covers every palace escape.

• Training-Specific Changes in Regional Spontaneous Neural Activity Among Professional Chinese Chess Players
• World Xiangqi Federation