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Xiangqi is played on a board that is 9 lines wide by 10 lines long. The pieces, disks marked with an identifying character, are placed on the intersections of the lines (as in Go). The sides are red, which moves first, and blue or black (green in Korea). The central row of squares is called the river. Each side also has a palace that is 3 lines by 3 lines (i.e., 9 positions) in the center of that side against the back edge of the board.
The game-tree complexity[?] of Xiangqi is approximately 10150.
Xiangqi plays faster then western chess, because the barrier of pawns is reduced dramatically, and also because the Cannons (see below) jump to capture, which makes them a threat early in the game. Also, while in western chess battle is concentrated in the middle few rows for the bulk of the game, in Xiangqi the battle seems to be happening simultaneously all over the board. The give and take between offensive and defensive play are thus more obvious in Xiangqi.
Korea has developed a variation of Xiangqi called Janggi. Where the Korean rules are different from the Chinese, the Korean variation will be noted following the Chinese. If no variation are noted, the two are the same.
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The General starts the game at the center intersection of the back edge (within the palace). The General may move 1 either vertically or horizontally only, never diagonally as in international chess. When the General is lost, the game is lost. The General cannot leave the palace under any circumstances, but he has the theoretical power of capturing the enemy General by moving along a file like a Rook. Since it is illegal to move into check, a player cannot make any move that would leave the two Generals facing one another on the same file with no other piece intervening. This is a very important feature of the game, as the General often plays a role in enforcing checkmate, especially when many of the other pieces have been exchanged.
To both the left and right of the king are the guards. The guards are the weakest pieces because they can only move one spot diagonally and may not leave the palace. They are invaluable for protecting the king, though.
In the Korean variation, the King and Guards may each move to any of the 9 positions within the palace, following the lines marked on the board. There are 4 diagonal lines in the palace connecting the center position to the corners.
In the Korean variation, the Elephant moves 2 points diagonally plus an additional move horizontally or vertically away from its initial position, ending up on the opposite end of a 2 x 3 rectangle. They may cross the river.
The move of the Horse is like that of the Elephant (in Korean chess), ending its move at the opposite corner of a 1 x 2 rectangle.
In the Korean variation, the other piece over which the cannon jumps may not be another cannon. In addition, Korean Cannons are required to jump in order to move, as well as capture.
In the Korean variation, the Soldiers may move and capture horizontally from their first move; they needn't cross the river first.
Stalemate is achieved when no legal moves are possible. Unlike international chess, however, the person who has no legal moves loses.
Some sites on Chinese Chess (to learn more and meet other players):
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