Play Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) Online Against AI

Xiangqi, also known as Chinese chess, is a fast tactical game fought across the river and within each side's palace. Play Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) free in your browser against adjustable AI. No download or account.

Why play Xiangqi here?

Free Xiangqi (Chinese chess) in your browser, with no app and no account. Play the computer at ten levels driven by two engines — Fairy-Stockfish for levels 1 to 8 and Pikafish, a dedicated Xiangqi engine, for levels 9 and 10 — or share one device between two players and swap sides mid-game. Blocked horse legs, blocked elephant eyes, cannon screens, facing generals, stalemate and perpetual check are all judged by the rules. Hint marks a move, Undo takes one back, and Review replays any game move by move and marks the moves that went wrong. More than 2,000 checkmate puzzles come with a level path and a daily puzzle.

How You WinWin by checkmating or stalemating the enemy general. Checkmate means it is under attack with no way to capture, block, or run; stalemate means it is not attacked but the side to move has no legal move at all. Both are losses — unlike chess, stalemate is not a draw here.

Board
9 files × 10 ranks of intersections
First move
Red

How to play Xiangqi in one minute

  1. Under Side choose Red, Black or 2 players, then pick a Level from 1 to 10; higher numbers play stronger. Red moves first.
  2. Tap one of your pieces to see where it can go, then tap the point to move there. You can also drag the piece.
  3. The chariot runs any distance along a line. The horse moves one point straight and then one diagonally, and cannot jump when that first point is occupied. The cannon moves like the chariot but captures only by jumping exactly one piece.
  4. The elephant moves two points diagonally, cannot cross the river and is blocked by a piece on the point between. The advisor (one point diagonally) and the general (one point straight) stay inside the palace. A soldier steps one point forward, and after crossing the river may also step sideways; it never moves back.
  5. A check must be answered at once. The two generals may never face each other along a file with nothing between them.
  6. Checkmate the other general, or leave the other side without a legal move, and you win. Checking again and again without varying (perpetual check), or chasing the same piece again and again, loses; other repeated positions are a draw.

Hint marks a move the engine recommends, and Undo takes back the last round. After the game, Review replays it move by move, and Analyze marks the moves that went wrong and shows a better one.

Playing Xiangqi here: common questions

Is Xiangqi (Chinese chess) free to play here? Do I need to download anything or sign up?

It is free, with no download and no account: the board opens in the browser on a computer or a phone. The AI runs on your own device, and an unfinished game comes back when you return in the same browser.

Can I play Chinese chess against the computer? How do I choose a level?

Yes. Choose Red or Black under Side and the computer takes the other side. There are ten levels; start at 1 or 2 if you are new, and move up when you win comfortably. You can swap sides in the middle of a game, or switch to 2 players and carry on from the same position.

Which engines does the computer use?

Two open-source engines. Levels 1 to 8 use Fairy-Stockfish, held back by its skill setting, search depth and the number of candidate moves it picks from. Levels 9 and 10 use Pikafish, an engine built only for Xiangqi that evaluates positions with a neural network; the first time you choose one of those levels it downloads about 51 MB. Both engines run locally in your browser.

Can two people play on one device?

Yes. Set Side to 2 players and take turns on the same phone or computer, Red first. A button beside the far side's name turns that side's pieces around for the person sitting opposite. There are no online rooms, so you cannot play someone who is not with you.

Are there Xiangqi puzzles to practice?

Yes. Puzzles & practice has more than 2,000 checkmate puzzles, from mate in one to mate in four, all taken from real games. Work through them as a level path of 70 stages, or solve the daily puzzle. They are free and need no account.

Can I review a game after it ends?

Yes. Review replays the game move by move and also opens earlier games played on this device, with your wins, draws and losses at each level. Analyze has the engine mark the moves that went wrong and show a better one. Games are stored only in your browser.

Is there a limit on hints or undos?

No. Hint can be used on any move and marks the move the engine recommends on the board. Undo takes back the last round and can be pressed again to go further back.

How do the pieces move in Xiangqi?

Chariots run along lines, horses move one point straight then one diagonally, cannons need exactly one piece to jump when they capture, elephants move two points diagonally and stay on their own side of the river, advisors and generals stay in the palace, and soldiers only go forward until they cross the river. The quick start above gives each move in a line, and the full rules page covers the special cases in detail.

Who moves first, and how do you win?

Red moves first. You win by checkmating the other general or by leaving the other side with no legal move; unlike in Western chess, that stalemate is a loss, not a draw. Perpetual check and perpetual chase lose for the side doing it, and other repeated positions are a draw.

Is Xiangqi the same as Chinese chess?

Yes. Xiangqi (象棋) is the Chinese name and Chinese chess is the usual English one. This page plays the full game on the 9-by-10 board with the river and the two palaces. It is a different game from Western chess, shogi and Makruk, which have their own pages on this site.

Complete Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) rules and beginner guide

Xiangqi puzzles: one a day, plus a journey from easy to hard