Xiangqi guide

Xiangqi Pieces and Moves

Every piece moves on intersections. The same piece can feel completely different when a blocker, the river, or the palace is involved.

The seven piece types

General — 帥 / 將

One orthogonal step inside the palace. The two Generals cannot face on an open file.

Advisor — 仕 / 士

One diagonal step, always within the palace. A close bodyguard for the General.

Elephant — 相 / 象

Exactly two diagonal points; it cannot cross the river or jump an occupied eye.

Horse — 傌 / 馬

An L-shape, but its first orthogonal point—the leg—must be empty.

Chariot — 俥 / 車

Any clear orthogonal distance. It is the fastest major attacking and defending piece.

Cannon — 炮 / 砲

Slides without a screen, but captures only by jumping exactly one screen.

Soldier — 兵 / 卒

One step forward; after the river it also moves sideways. It never retreats or promotes.

General and Advisor: palace rules

The General has a smaller home than a Western king: it moves one intersection up, down, left, or right within its palace. Advisors move one diagonal point and stay there too. There is also the flying-General rule: if no piece blocks their file, the Generals attack one another. Once you see this relationship, the palace becomes much easier to read.

Elephant and Horse: two kinds of blockage

An Elephant travels two diagonal points, so inspect the midpoint—its “eye.” Any piece on that midpoint stops the move. The Horse goes one orthogonal point then one diagonal point outward; a piece on that initial orthogonal point blocks the “leg.” Unlike a Western knight, a Horse cannot jump a blocker. These rules make local traffic and Soldiers strategically important.

Memory cue:

Elephant: check the eye in the middle. Horse: check the leg next door. If either point is occupied, the move does not exist.

Chariot and Cannon: lines with different capture rules

The Chariot moves and captures along a clear rank or file, like a rook. The Cannon moves the same way when it is not capturing. Its capture is unique: it must have exactly one intervening piece—the screen—then capture the first enemy beyond it. No screen means no Cannon capture; two screens also means no capture.

That screen can belong to either side. A Cannon near a crowded palace can become especially powerful, while a Cannon in an empty endgame may simply be waiting for a useful screen.

Soldiers: small pieces that change the board

A Soldier moves one point forward. Once it crosses the river, it may also move one point sideways, but never backward. It captures by moving exactly as it moves, unlike a Western pawn. It does not promote, so think of a deep Soldier as a long-term space-maker: it can restrict the enemy General, open a file, or support another piece.

Useful practical values

Values are a planning aid, not a law. A common beginner scale gives a Soldier roughly 1 before the river and 2 after it; Advisors and Elephants about 2; Horses and Cannons about 4; and a Chariot about 9. Position can overturn the count: an active Cannon with a screen, a trapped Horse, or an exposed General may matter more than a nominal point.

Try the move hints Read the beginner guide