Board and setup
A 7×9 board; each side has rat, cat, dog, wolf, leopard, tiger, lion and elephant.
Traditional / JUNGLE
Jungle Chess
Use animal ranks, rivers and traps to reach the enemy den.
Also known as: Dou Shou Qi, Animal Chess
Jungle Chess pits different animal pieces against each other. It’s easy to pick up, yet still rewards careful thought.
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Supports ranked matches, friend invites, AI opponents, spectating.
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JUNGLEABOUT THE GAME
About the game
Jungle Chess is a Chinese board game whose pieces are animals such as the lion, tiger, elephant and rat. The pecking order among the animals, combined with terrain like the river and traps, gives it a strong sense of story.
Its animal theme often draws in new players, while still preserving the strategic interest of controlling routes, pinning pieces and staging ambushes.
Reference：liacs.leidenuniv.nl ↗
Rules
Jungle Chess — How to play
Youzai Board Game Club — The server implementation governs play here; tournament and other site rules may differ.
Making a move
Pieces normally move one orthogonal square. The rat enters water; lions and tigers may leap across it; an enemy trap reduces a piece’s effective rank to zero.
Winning and draws
Enter the enemy den or leave the opponent with no legal move to win.
Rules on this site
You cannot enter your own den. A rat in the river blocks a lion or tiger leap. On this server an elephant can also capture a rat, unlike some variants.
Helpful examples
- Pieces rank from weakest to strongest as rat, cat, dog, wolf, leopard, tiger, lion, elephant; a higher-ranked piece can normally capture an equal or lower-ranked one.
- Only the rat may enter the river. Lions and tigers may leap across the entire river in a straight line, but cannot do so if a rat is anywhere in the river.
- A piece that enters an enemy trap has its effective rank reduced to zero, and can then be captured by any enemy piece.
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.
Board and objective
Each side has eight animal pieces. A river runs through the middle of the board, and each side has a den and traps near its own end. Enter the opponent’s den to win; you may not enter your own den.
Strength and captures
Pieces normally capture by rank: rat, cat, dog, wolf, leopard, tiger, lion, elephant. Equal ranks may also capture each other. On this site, a rat on land can capture an elephant; by this site’s current engine, an elephant can also capture a rat, which differs from some traditional versions.
River and traps
Only the rat can enter the river. Lions and tigers may leap in a straight line across the entire river, but cannot do so if a rat is anywhere in their path. A piece that enters an enemy trap has its rank reduced to zero for as long as it stays there, and can be captured by any enemy piece.
Practical tips
A rat in the water cannot directly capture an elephant on land. Don’t focus only on rank — the den entrances and trap locations often matter more than a single strong piece.
General rules reference：liacs.leidenuniv.nl ↗