You only need three rules to begin: all thirty-two pieces start face-down; the first flip assigns that color; later turns are a flip or a one-step move. Captures follow king, advisor, elephant, chariot, horse, cannon, soldier. A soldier may take a king. Hidden discs cannot be captured.
Board and Opening
The board is eight files by four ranks. Each side has sixteen xiangqi pieces: one king, two advisors, two elephants, two chariots, two horses, two cannons, and five soldiers. They start face-down in a random mix. There is no river and no palace.
Claiming a Color
You choose only first or second, not red or black. The first disc turned over assigns that color to the player who flipped it. After that, a turn is either flipping another hidden disc or moving a face-up piece of your color.
Capture Ranks
From highest to lowest: king, advisor, elephant, chariot, horse, cannon, soldier. Equals may capture each other, and a higher rank may take a lower one. The reversal is that a soldier may take a king, while a king may not take a soldier. Face-up pieces move one square orthogonally. Hidden discs cannot be captured or landed on by an ordinary step.
Cannon Jumps
When it is not capturing, a cannon also steps one square. To capture, it jumps exactly one screen along a rank or file onto an enemy that is already showing, any rank. The screen may be hidden or face-up. A hidden target is not a legal landing.
Winning and Draws
You win by capturing every remaining enemy piece, or when the opponent begins a turn with no legal flip or move. After one hundred twenty half-moves without a capture or a flip, this site declares a draw. There is no check and no scoring of territory.
Complete a Move
A hidden disc flips in one tap. A face-up piece needs a selection, then a highlighted destination. Choosing the wrong piece does nothing permanent. The turn marker shows first or second until colors are assigned, then Red or Black.
Illegal Moves
You cannot move diagonally, step more than one square except when a cannon captures, take a hidden disc, take a soldier with a king, or capture up the rank table except for soldier-takes-king. A cannon cannot capture with no screen or with two screens. You cannot move the opponent's face-up pieces.
How the Modes Differ
The rules do not change between modes. AI games include hints, undo, and replay, and the engine never peeks at hidden discs. Same-device games include undo and replay without suggestions. Online rooms keep both boards in sync and support resignations and draw offers, but one player cannot undo alone.
For help deciding when to stop flipping, how to use soldiers against kings, and where to park a cannon, read the Banqi strategy guide.
FAQ
How is Banqi different from xiangqi?
The piece types are the same; the board and the goal are not. Banqi is played on 8×4 with every piece hidden, there is no river or palace, and there is no check. You win by capturing the army, not by mating a general.
Do I pick red or black before the first move?
No. Choose only whether to go first or second. The first flipped piece assigns that color, and the opponent takes the other color.
Can a soldier really capture the king?
Yes. A face-up soldier may take a face-up king, and the king cannot take a soldier in return. That is why a king standing next to unknown discs is often unsafe.
How does the cannon capture?
It jumps exactly one screen along a rank or file onto an enemy that is already showing. The screen may be hidden or showing, and the captured piece may be any rank.
Does the AI peek at hidden pieces?
No. The search scores only face-up moves and uses a positional guess for flips, so it plays the information you can also see.
Can a game continue forever without captures?
No. This site declares a draw after one hundred twenty half-moves without a capture or a flip. Players in an online room may also agree to a draw before reaching that limit.
