990620b

Essentials
of CHINESE CHESS and of KOREAN CHESS
The chess game best known in the West, and predominant in international
competition, is with modification the Persian descendant of a game originating
further east. Most authorities believe that chess has its origins in an Indian game known
(in transliteration) as Chaturanga, Shaturanga, or Tschaturanga.
In any event, there are variant forms of chess, including Shogi (Japanese chess),
Jangki (Korean chess, also called Tjyang-keui), and XiangQi (Chinese chess, also
called Shiang-Chi, and called Jeuhng Keih in Cantonese).
This document presents the essentials of XiangQi and of Jangki, with XiangQi
principally in mind. A set for XiangQi can be used to play Jangki, and vice versa.
OVERVIEW
Like Persian chess, XiangQi and Jangki are two-party wargames contested on a two-dimensional
board. Each party has various pieces, one piece of principal importance. If and when that principal piece
is placed in one of certain relations to other pieces, its party has lost; if and when a party has no legal
move, that party has lost. The objective of each party is to bring the principal piece of the opponent into
such a relation, while avoiding the same for its own principal piece, or to place the opponent in a position
where the opponent has no legal move.
THE BOARD
The board is based upon an eight-by-nine grid. See Figure 1a. Pieces are placed at and moved
to intersections of the grid-lines, rather than within squares. (An equivalent board, with pieces placed
within the squares, would be nine-by-ten.)
The two four-by-eight territories of the board are separated by the river, which is one by eight.
The river has special significance in XiangQi. In the center-rear of each territory is a two-by-two grid
(usually distinguished by diagonal lines within it) which is its palace (sometimes called fortress or
castle). See Figure 1b.
THE PIECES
The two sides in XiangQi are, respectively, red and black. In Jangki, they are respectively red
and black, red and green, or red and blue. Pieces are typically disks with ideograms, but are often instead
disks with icons. (Traditionally, pieces in Jangki are actually dekahedral; octagonal when viewed from
above.) See Figure 2. In XiangQi, the disks are of uniform diameter. In Jangki, the generals are larger
than other pieces; the pawns and guards are smaller.
When ideograms are used, there is often sufficient distinction that color is superfluous.
(However, some XiangQi sets use the same ideogram both for red and for black chariots, and both for red
and for black horses.)
Both in XiangQi and in Jangki, there are seven types of piece; each type in XiangQi has a close
analogue in Jangki, with the same number of pieces.
In turn, five of these types are (with varying precision) analogues of types found in Persian
chess.
Each side has a total of sixteen pieces.
Players alternate turns, and in each turn a player may move one piece. In XiangQi, a party must
move in its turn, unless it cannot. No piece may move into a position already occupied by a piece from
the same side. A piece from one side takes that from another by coming to rest at the same intersection.
No piece may leave the board, except when captured.
The general is, like the Persian king, the principal piece. However, he is confined through-out
the game to his palace. When he moves, it is one intersection at a time. He may not move into a position
Copyright by Daniel Kian Mc Kiernan.
May be reproduced and distributed if only and only if unaltered.

ESSENTIALS OF CHINESE CHESS AND OF KOREAN CHESS

XIANGQI AND JANGKI

from at which his piece could be taken at the next move of the opponent (check). Each side has one
general.
In XiangQi: The general is not permitted to move diagonally. He must not move into a position
facing the opposing general (along a grid-line) unless there is a piece blocking the line-of-sight.
In Jangki: The general may move diagonally or rectilinearly. When a party moves such that one
general faces the other (along a grid-line), without a piece in between them, any legal move of the
opponent either moves the general or places another piece between the generals; however, the party that
has forced this situation thereby forfeits the ability to win; any subsequent move that would have
produced a victory for that party now instead produces a draw. (Actually, the principal piece in Jangki is
a dynasty, rather than a general, but that distinction will be ignored above and below.)
The guard, with the general, is confined to the palace. When he moves, it is one intersection at
a time. In XiangQi, his movement is confined to the palace diagonals; in Jangki, he may move
diagonally or rectilinearly. Each side has two guards.
Each side has two elephants or two bureaucrats.
In XiangQi: The elephant/bureaucrat is rather like the Persian bishop, in that he may only move
diagonally. However, when he moves, it must be two intersections at a time, he may not jump over other
pieces (the intermediate intersections must be vacant), and he may not cross the river.
In Jangki: The elephant/bureaucrat may cross the river. When he moves, it is somewhat like a
horse, one intersection along a grid-line, and then two diagonally further away (at an obtuse angle). See
Figure 3a. He may not jump any other piece the two intermediate intersection points must be vacant.
The horse, like the Persian knight, moves one intersection along a grid-line, and then one
diagonally further away (at an obtuse angle). See Figure 3b. As with the elephant, however, he may not
jump over another piece the intermediate point must be vacant. Each side has two horses.
The chariot, like the Persian rook, may move straight along a grid-line in any direction until an
obstruction, the boundary of the board, or a desired intersection; any given move of the chariot is along
only one line. Each side has two chariots.
In Jangki: The chariot may also move along a palace diagonal.
Each side has two cannons.
In XiangQi: The cannon, like the chariot, may move straight along a grid-line in any direction
until an obstruction, the boundary of the board, or a desired intersection, with the very important
exception that to take a piece the cannon is required to jump over exactly one other piece in between.
In Jangki: The cannon must move along a straight line (including a palace diagonal), and must
jump exactly one other piece for any movement. (Hence, it cannot move along a diagonal from the center
of the palace.) The piece over which the cannon jumps must not be a cannon. The cannon must not take
another cannon. The cannon must not be the first piece moved by its party.
Both in XiangQi and in Jangki: The piece over which the cannon jumps (known as a gun
mount or screen) may be of the same side, or of the other. The piece over which the cannon jumps
may be more than one intersection away from the cannon, the piece to be taken, or both. The cannon
must not jump over more than one piece at a time.
Each side has five pawns.
In XiangQi: The pawn becomes more powerful after crossing the river. Before crossing the
river, it may advance, one intersection at a time (never two); after crossing the river, it may advance
(until it reaches the opponent's back line), or move to the left or right, one intersection at a time. Pawns
do not move diagonally.
In Jangki: The pawn may advance (until it reaches the opponents back line), or even before
crossing the river move to the left or right, one intersection at a time. The pawn must not move
diagonally unless along a palace diagonal.
Both in XiangQi and in Jangki: Pawns cannot retreat; they move towards or parallel to the
backline of the opponent. Pawns do not move diagonally. When a pawn has reached an opponent's
backline (that row furthest in the territory from the river), the pawn may continue to move left or right.
Pawns are never promoted.

ESSENTIALS OF CHINESE CHESS AND OF KOREAN CHESS

XIANGQI AND JANGKI

INITIAL PLACEMENT OF PIECES

Initial placement of pieces in XiangQi is as in Figure 4a.
The general, guards,
elephants/bureaucrats, horses, and chariots are placed symmetrically upon the backline (that row furthest
from the river). The general is in the center of the backline, the guards to his right and left,
elephant/bureaucrats next outermost, then horses, and then chariots. Two points ahead of each horse is a
cannon. Three points ahead of each chariot, each elephant/bureaucrat, and the king is placed a pawn.
Default initial placement of pieces in Jangki is as in Figure 4b. Initial placement is as in
XiangQi, except that the general is in the center of the palace (where the diagonal lines cross), and that
on each side the place of one horse may be exchanged with that of its adjacent elephant/bureaucrat (at the
discretion of its party). (Note that this reversal is an initial placement, rather than a move like castling in
Persian chess.)
PLAY
Parties alternate turns, each party moving one of its pieces in turn. Traditionally, the red party
gets the first turn. When a general could otherwise be taken in the next move of the opponent, its party is
required to move it unless it cannot. In XiangQi, a party must move in its turn unless it cannot. In
Jangki, a party need not move unless it may legally move and its general is otherwise required to move.
Play proceeds until one of the following occurs:

A general can be taken in a next move of the opponent, and the party of the general is unable to
change this situation with its current move.
A party has been placed in a position such that it cannot make a legal move during its turn. In
XiangQi, the party unable to move in its turn has lost. In Jangki (as in Persian chess), this stalemate
results in a draw.
Victory has become impossible for either side.

ESSENTIALS OF CHINESE CHESS AND OF KOREAN CHESS

XIANGQI AND JANGKI

Figure 1a. The Board.

The vertical lines are called files; the horizontal lines are called ranks.

Figure 1b. The River and the Palaces.

The river has special significance in XiangQi.

count
on each
side
PAWN

IDEOGRAM
GRAPHIC

CHINESE
Red

KOREAN
Black

Red

Green

Persian
Analogue
PAWN

SOLDIER
CANNON

GUNNER
GUN
CATAPULT

CHARIOT

N/A

ROOK

CASTLE

HORSE

ELEPHANT

KNIGHT

MINISTER

BISHOP

BUREAUCRAT

BISHOP
MANDARIN

2
N/A

GUARD
ADVISER
XiangQi:

GENERAL

KING

Jangki:

DYNASTY

Figure 2a. Pieces in XiangQi and in Jangki.

IDEOGRAM

Mandardin
(Pinyin / IPA)

Cantonese
(Yale / IPA)

RED

R
E
D

White

SOLDIER

bing
piN

bing
biN

PAWN

CANNON

pao
pHaU

paau
paU

N/A

CHARIOT

che
tHE

che
tSE

ROOK

HORSE

ma
ma

mah
mah

KNIGHT

MINISTER

xiang
JEN

seung
sN

BISHOP

ADVISER

shi
i

sih
sih

N/A

GENERAL

shuai
wI

seui
si

KING

BLACK

B
L
K

Persian
Analogue

Black

SOLDIER

zu
tsu

jyut
dZJut

PAWN

CANNON

pao
pHaU

paau
paU

N/A

CHARIOT

che
tHE

che
tSE

ROOK

HORSE

ma
ma

mah
mah

KNIGHT

ELEPHANT

xiang
JEN

jeuhng
dZhN

BISHOP

ADVISER

shi
Ji

sih
sih

N/A

GENERAL

jiang
tJEN

jeung
dZN

KING

Figure 2b. Pieces in XiangQi /JENtHi/ Mandarin and Cantonese Names.

(IPA values approximate.)

ESSENTIALS OF CHINESE CHESS AND OF KOREAN CHESS

IDEOGRAM
RED

SOLDIER

BLACK

XIANGQI AND JANGKI

Hangul

Transliteration
(Mc CuneReischauer /
IPA)

pyong
pyN

Persian
Analogue

PAWN

chol
tSol
CANNON

po
pHo

N/A

CHARIOT

cha
tSJa

ROOK

HORSE

ma
ma

KNIGHT

ELEPHANT

sang
saN

BISHOP

ADVISER

sa
sa

N/A

KING

wang
waN
Han

han

KING

Cho
tSJo
Figure 2c. Pieces in
(Jangki /tSaNki/). (Hangul with kind assistance of Jeon Yongil.)
The symbol represented in transliteration as an l is more a compromise between the sounds of l and of r.

ESSENTIALS OF CHINESE CHESS AND OF KOREAN CHESS

Figure 3a. Jangki: Movement of the Elephant/Bureaucrat.

Figure 3b. Movement of the Horse.

XIANGQI AND JANGKI

ESSENTIALS OF CHINESE CHESS AND OF KOREAN CHESS

XIANGQI AND JANGKI

Figure 4a. XiangQi: Initial Placement of Pieces.

Figure 4b. Jangki: Default Initial Placement of Pieces.

Each party may exchange the position of one horse with its adjacent elephant/bureaucrat.