Janggi Rules - How to Play Korean Chess
Learn how Cho and Han pieces move on a riverless 9×10 board, including palace diagonals, jumping cannons, and legal bikjang.
Board, armies, and the aim
Janggi is played on nine files and ten ranks with no river dividing the armies. Cho (楚) begins on the south side of this board and Han (漢) on the north; each side fields a general, two advisors, two elephants, two horses, two chariots, two cannons, and five soldiers. Pieces sit on intersections, and the goal is to checkmate the enemy general inside its palace. Unlike xiangqi, generals may face each other on an open file — a position called bikjang — and that rule shapes many attacks.
Palace lines and bikjang
Each general stays inside a three-by-three palace marked with diagonal X-lines. The general and advisors move one point along palace lines, including those diagonals. Cho and Han generals may stand on the same file with nothing between them; this bikjang is legal and often used as a tactical threat. A move is illegal only if it leaves your own general in check from an enemy piece other than the facing general line.
Elephants, horses, and chariots
An elephant moves one point straight then two points diagonally; the straight point must be empty. A horse moves one point straight then one diagonal, and is blocked if the adjacent straight point is occupied — the same hobbled-leg idea as xiangqi. The chariot slides any number of empty points orthogonally and captures the first enemy piece in a direction. Chariots remain the strongest pieces and should be developed toward open files early.
Cannons and soldiers
A cannon cannot move or capture without jumping exactly one piece between itself and its destination; that screen may belong to either side. Cannons cannot jump over another cannon and cannot capture an enemy cannon. Soldiers move one point forward and may also move one point sideways from the very first move — they never retreat. Because there is no river, sideways soldiers are available from the opening and quickly change central control.
Check, legal replies, and the result
When checked, you may move the general, block, or capture the attacker if the rules of that piece allow it. The engine rejects any move that leaves your general attacked. If the side to move has no legal move, the opponent wins. For a practical drawn-game safeguard, the current implementation also declares a draw after 120 half-moves without a capture. Tournament repetition and bikjang draw claims are not automated here.
Janggi rules FAQ
- Is bikjang illegal like the flying-general rule in xiangqi?
- No. Facing generals on an open file is legal in janggi and is often part of the tactics.
- Must a cannon jump to move at all?
- Yes. A cannon always needs exactly one screen between itself and its landing square, even for a non-capturing move.
- Can a cannon take another cannon?
- No. Cannons cannot jump over or capture enemy cannons.
- Can soldiers move sideways immediately?
- Yes. From the opening position, a soldier may step forward or sideways; it never moves backward.
- Does stalemate end in a draw?
- No. If the player to move has no legal moves, the opponent wins, whether the general is checked or simply trapped.
Practice Janggi
Open a board and test one rule at a time: try a sideways soldier, make a cannon jump over a screen, and then check whether clearing a file creates bikjang.