Chinese chess pieces

On this page

Chinese chess pieces

Seven kinds of pieces if you count the general. The names sound poetic until a cannon eats something two points away because a pawn sat in the middle. This page is the army roster — not a museum label wall.

Board above can demo a piece when you select it. The cannon is usually waiting already picked up so the jump reads. Full beginner loop lives on how to play.

When

When to use

Mid-game “what does this one do?” Teaching English names next to the characters. Comparing to western piece metaphors without lying.

When not

When not to

You need the whole turn structure — how-to. You only wanted a full game — home. Buy a wooden set — not our shop; we don’t have one.

Defaults

Assumptions

Standard starting army. English labels: general, advisor, elephant, horse, chariot, cannon, soldier. Character pairs differ by side; moves do not.

Steps

How

1. Look at the selected cannon first — quiet dots are slides; a ring means it can jump and take.
2. Tap another piece on the board or use the piece rail to switch focus.
3. When the shapes stick, play a short Easy game on vs computer.

Worked notes

Examples

• Empty file in front of a cannon → it can slide, but it can’t capture without a screen
• Something sits beside a horse → that hobbled leg dies until the square clears

Watch-outs

Gotchas

• Don’t teach cannon as “rook that jumps always.” Empty path = move; screen = capture.
• Elephant is not a bishop. Two-point diagonal and river-locked.
• Chariot is strongest by a distance. Two chariots decide most games.
• Soldier gains a sideways step only after crossing.

Roster

Park-table short

General — one step inside the palace; cannot face the other general on an open file. Advisor — diagonal one step, palace only. Elephant — two points diagonally; blocked at the midpoint; never crosses the river. Horse — one orthogonal then one diagonal; blocked by a piece on the orthogonal leg. Chariot — any distance orthogonally. Cannon — moves like a chariot on an empty path; captures only over exactly one screen. Soldier — forward before the river; forward or sideways after; never back.

Discs

Why the characters differ by color

Red and black traditionally use different characters for the same role — 帅 and 将 are both the general, 马 and 馬 both the horse. The pairs are cultural handwriting on wood. The moves stay identical. You don’t need fluent Chinese to play; fourteen characters and a few games is enough to read the table.

Controls

Board controls

This shell opens with a red cannon already picked up so the jump reads immediately. Use the piece rail or tap any other disc to switch focus.