Xiangqi Piece Guide
How every piece moves and captures in Chinese Chess. Several pieces can be blocked by a piece in the way — those rules are what make Xiangqi tactics so sharp.
| Piece | Movement | Key constraint |
|---|---|---|
| General / King 帥 / 將 · shuài / jiàng |
One point orthogonally (up, down, left, or right) — never diagonally. | Confined to the palace. By the flying-general rule, it can never face the enemy General on an open file. |
| Advisor / Guard 仕 / 士 · shì |
Exactly one point diagonally. | Confined to the palace — it can only ever reach 5 points (the four corners and the center). |
| Elephant / Minister 相 / 象 · xiàng |
Exactly two points diagonally in a straight line. | May never cross the river (7 points on its own side only); blocked if a piece sits on the midpoint of its path — the "elephant's eye." |
| Horse / Knight 傌 / 馬 (马) · mǎ |
One point orthogonally, then one point diagonally outward (an L-shape). | Does not jump: blocked if the orthogonal point it steps through first is occupied — "hobbling the horse's leg." |
| Chariot / Rook 俥 / 車 (车) · jū |
Any distance orthogonally, like a rook. | Cannot jump over any piece. Generally the strongest piece on the board. |
| Cannon / Catapult 炮 / 砲 · pào |
Moves like a Chariot over empty points. To capture, it must jump exactly one piece — the "screen" — and land on the first enemy piece beyond it. | Needs exactly one screen (of either color) to capture; with no screen, or two or more pieces in the line, it cannot capture. |
| Soldier / Pawn 兵 / 卒 · bīng / zú |
One point straight forward. After crossing the river, it may also move one point sideways. | Never moves backward. There is no promotion — on the far rank it simply keeps its sideways step. |
Learn by playing
Cờ•Chess•Qi highlights every legal move as you play, and the Academy's System Bot offers hint arrows and position evaluation while you train.
Download on the App Store