How to play Xiangqi

Movement overview and repetition principles based on World Xiangqi Rules 2018 (WXF). This summary does not replace the full competition rules or official adjudication examples.

1. Start and controls

The board has 9 files and 10 ranks. Pieces occupy intersections. Each side starts with 16 pieces; Red moves first, then turns alternate. Tap your piece and a legal destination. Choose AI practice or a human opponent; press Ready before the room deadline when required.

2. The seven pieces

General: one orthogonal step inside the 3×3 palace. Generals cannot face each other along an unobstructed file.
Advisor: one diagonal step within the palace.
Elephant: two diagonal steps, without crossing the river. An occupied midpoint blocks the move.
Horse: one orthogonal step followed by one outward diagonal step. An occupied first orthogonal point blocks its leg.
Chariot: any unobstructed orthogonal distance.
Cannon: moves without capture like a Chariot; a capture requires exactly one intervening screen.
Soldier: one forward step; after crossing the river, one sideways step is also allowed. Never backward.

3. Check and results

Resolve check by moving the General, capturing the attacker or legally blocking. Never leave your General in check. Checkmate or having no legal move loses; stalemate is not a draw in Xiangqi. Resignation concedes the game. Draws may follow agreement or the applicable competition rules.

4. Repetition

Perpetual checking is prohibited. Chase rulings depend on legal captures, protection, the target and exceptions; an attack alone does not prove an illegal chase. A sole offender must vary or lose. Mutual equivalent violations or permitted repetition may draw. A perpetual checker facing a perpetual chaser must vary. Judge the complete sequence and both players' actions.

5. The 6 / 12 / 18 limits

CXQ publishes consecutive check/chase limits of 6 moves with one piece, 12 with two, and 18 with three before applying its advanced rulings. These are CXQ platform limits, not a universal WXF rule. Reaching a number alone does not establish a loss, and changing attackers does not automatically erase a violation.

6. Clocks and Hidden Xiangqi

Ready deadlines, move limits and total time follow the room settings shown in this app. Hidden Xiangqi is a separate variant; use its covered/revealed-piece rules rather than assuming standard Advisor/Elephant restrictions apply to every revealed piece.

Update scope: the app now counts consecutive checking turns: at most 6 with one attacker, 12 with two, and 18 with three or more. At the limit, play a different piece without giving check to reset the run. Further checks are blocked, including checking with another piece; there is no automatic loss. After the reset you may check again. Warnings appear near the limit. This app policy uses CXQ-style limits; it is not a full WXF adjudicator and does not automatically adjudicate perpetual chases.