Board and setup
A 9×10 point board with a 3×3 palace (with diagonals) on each side. Cho, the first player, sits at the bottom; Han sits at the top.
Traditional / JANGGI
Janggi
Diagonal palace lines turn chariots and cannons loose.
Also known as: Korean Chess
Janggi shares its roots with xiangqi, but allows diagonal moves inside the palace, giving its chariot and cannon their own distinct character.
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JANGGIABOUT THE GAME
About the game
Janggi (장기) is a traditional game of the Korean peninsula. It belongs to the same family of general-versus-general games as xiangqi, and scholars generally agree the two share historical roots, though the exact path and timing of that connection are still debated.
It keeps the basic palace-and-general layout, while developing its own character in the proportion of elephant and horse moves and the cannon’s screening rule — and it allows moving straight along the palace diagonals as well.
Reference：www.britishmuseum.org ↗
Rules
Janggi — How to play
Youzai Board Game Club — The server implementation governs play here; tournament and other site rules may differ.
Making a move
The general and guards move only within the palace, orthogonally or along its diagonals. The elephant moves one straight step then two diagonal steps, and every point on that path must be empty. The knight is blocked the same way as in xiangqi. The chariot and cannon may also cross the palace diagonally through its centre. A cannon must jump exactly one non-cannon piece to capture, and cannot itself be captured that way. Soldiers move forward or sideways only, never backward.
Winning and draws
A checkmated side loses. Either side may pass whenever it is not in check, so there is no draw for "no legal move but not in check."
Rules on this site
This site uses a fixed standard setup and gives soldiers no palace-diagonal bonus. Two hundred half-moves without a capture draw. Unlike xiangqi, the two generals may face each other directly on an open file here.
Helpful examples
- The general and guards may move along the palace’s diagonal lines (connecting the four corners through the centre), in addition to their usual one-point orthogonal move; any square outside the palace or off those diagonals is illegal.
- The elephant moves one step straight, then two steps diagonally, crossing three points in total; if either of the first two points is occupied by any piece, the move is illegal. The knight moves one step straight then one step diagonally, blocked the same way as in xiangqi.
- Inside the palace, the chariot and cannon may additionally move along the diagonals from a corner to the centre, or from a corner straight to the opposite corner. Whether on the open board or the palace diagonals, the cannon must jump exactly one non-cannon piece to capture, and can neither serve as another cannon’s screen nor be captured that way itself.
Complete beginner guide
From setup to the end of the game
Read these steps in order to complete your first game. This guide combines public rules with this site’s server implementation; where versions differ, this site’s ruling applies.
Setup and objective
Cho (초, blue-green) starts at the bottom and moves first; Han (한, red) is at the top. The 9×10 board has no river; each end has a 3×3 palace marked with diagonal lines. Checkmating the enemy general wins the game.
General, guards, elephant and horse
The general and guards only move inside the palace: one point orthogonally, or one point along the palace diagonals connecting the corners through the centre. The elephant moves one point straight, then two points diagonally, and both intersections along that path must be empty of any piece. The knight makes an L-shaped move with the same blocking rule as in xiangqi.
Chariot and cannon
The chariot slides orthogonally, stopping at or capturing the first piece it meets. Inside the palace it can also move along the diagonals, from a corner to the centre or straight across to the opposite corner. The cannon moves like the chariot when not capturing; to capture, exactly one piece — the screen — must stand between it and the target. That screen cannot be another cannon, and a cannon can never be captured that way either; the same restriction applies on the palace diagonals.
Passing and rules on this site
Soldiers move one point forward or sideways only, never backward. Either side may choose to pass — ending the turn without moving — whenever it is not in check, so this site never produces a position with no legal move but also no check. This site uses a fixed standard starting setup, and 200 half-moves without a capture is a draw.
General rules reference：www.britishmuseum.org ↗