A Three Kingdoms-themed chess game featuring diverse gameplay modes, allowing players to complete all levels, challenge every hero, and quickly study chess endgames. Xiangqi, a Chinese-origin board game, is a two-player strategy game with a rich history. Its simple yet engaging pieces make it a widely popular chess activity.
A chess game that combines the theme of the Three Kingdoms, adding various modes of gameplay, can pass all levels, challenge all heroes, and can also quickly study the chess endgame, Xiangqi is a kind of chess that originated in China, belongs to a kind of two-player confrontation game, has a long history. Because the chess pieces are simple to make and interesting, they have become a very popular chess activity.
chessman
There are thirty-two chess pieces, divided into two groups, red and black, each group has a total of sixteen, each divided into seven types, the names and numbers of which are as follows:
Red chess pieces: one general, two chariots, two horses, two cannons, two advisors, two elephants, and five soldiers.
Black chess pieces: one general, two chariots, two horses, two cannons, two advisors, two elephants, and five pawns.
General / Commander
The red side has a "general" and the black side has a "commander." The general and commander are the leaders on the board and the primary targets for both sides.
They can only move within the "nine palaces," stepping one square vertically or horizontally per turn. The general and commander cannot face each other directly on the same file without any intervening pieces, or the moving player loses.
Advisors / Guards
The red side has "advisors" and the black side has "guards." They move only within the nine palaces, diagonally, one square at a time.
Elephants / Ministers
The red side has "elephants" and the black side has "ministers." They move diagonally two squares per turn, known as "elephant crossing the river." Their movement is restricted to their own side of the river; they cannot cross it. If a piece blocks the center of their intended move, they cannot proceed, called "blocking the elephant's eye."
Chariot (jū)
The chariot is the most powerful piece. It moves any number of squares horizontally or vertically if unobstructed, known as "chariot running straight." A chariot can control up to seventeen squares, earning the saying "one chariot is worth ten pawns."
Cannon
The cannon moves like the chariot when not capturing. To capture, it must jump over exactly one piece (friend or foe), called "cannon screening" or "firing over the mountain."
Horse
The horse moves in an "L" shape: one square orthogonally followed by one diagonally, known as "horse stepping on diagonals." It can reach up to eight surrounding squares, hence "majestic on eight sides." If a piece blocks its initial step, the move is blocked, called "hobbling the horse's leg."
Soldiers / Pawns
The red side has "soldiers" and the black side has "pawns."
Soldiers and pawns move forward only, not backward, and cannot move sideways before crossing the river. After crossing, they can move one step forward or horizontally. Even so, their power increases significantly, leading to the saying "a pawn across the river is worth a chariot."
Players take turns moving pieces, following the ancient Sun Tzu's Art of War concept: "supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." The goal is to checkmate or stalemate the opponent's general. Red moves first, and turns alternate until victory, defeat, or draw. Through these battles, players enhance their strategic thinking via complex dynamics of attack, defense, and overall positioning.
