Play Chinese Chess Online - Free AI Battles, Multiplayer & Endgame Puzzles
Play Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) online for free: challenge the AI, battle real players, solve 360 endgame puzzles and invite friends to a private room. No download, works on desktop and mobile browsers.
Android Beta Testers WantedSign UpAbout Chinese Chess
Chinese Chess, or Xiangqi, is a traditional Chinese strategy board game. The board is formed by 9 vertical and 10 horizontal lines with 90 intersections, split down the middle by the "Chu River and Han Border". Each side commands 16 pieces: one General, two Advisors, two Elephants, two Horses, two Chariots, two Cannons and five Soldiers. Red moves first, and the goal is to checkmate or stalemate the opposing General. The Chariot moves in straight lines, the Horse jumps in an L-shape, the Cannon needs a screen to capture, the Elephant cannot cross the river, and Soldiers gain sideways movement once across. Simple to learn, yet endlessly deep.
Game Features
- Play vs AI: five difficulty levels from beginner to expert, plus custom starting positions and handicaps such as giving up two horses, two chariots or nine pieces. Retry any lost game instantly.
- Online multiplayer: challenge real players in the lobby or open a private room for a friend, with take-backs, draw offers, resignation, self-analysis and in-game chat.
- Endgame puzzles: 360 hand-crafted endgames drawn from Three Kingdoms tales. One wrong move and the game is lost, but you can retry freely and reveal the official solution when stuck.
- Endgame editor: drag and drop pieces to build any position you like, import PEN notation, and share the puzzle with friends to solve.
How to Start Playing
- Open the home page and pick a mode: Play vs AI, Online Battle, Endgame Puzzles or Endgame Editor.
- For AI games, choose a difficulty level and whether you take Red or Black, then tap Start Game and make your first move.
- To play a real person, open Create Room, set the thinking time per move and spectator permissions, then send the link or QR code to your friend.
- During a match you may request a take-back, offer a draw or resign. Afterwards you can save the game record locally or export it to review again.
- No download needed. It runs in any desktop or mobile browser, and you can add it to your home screen for an app-like experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to download anything to play Chinese Chess online?
No. chess.z3web.cn is a pure web Xiangqi platform: just open it in any desktop or mobile browser. It takes no storage space, and you can add it to your home screen for faster loading.
Can I adjust the difficulty of the AI opponent?
Yes. Play vs AI offers several difficulty levels from easy to hard. You can also set a custom starting position or use handicap setups such as giving up two horses, two chariots, two cannons or nine pieces.
Do I need an account to play against a friend?
AI games and spectating need no account, but online matches require logging in. An account lets you save your game history, share records, and lets friends find you quickly by username in the battle lobby.
How many endgame puzzles are there?
There are 360 endgame puzzles, all based on classic positions from Three Kingdoms stories. One wrong move can lose the whole game. You may retry as often as you like, and you can reveal the correct solution when you get stuck.
Are take-backs, draws and resignation supported?
Yes. In online matches both sides may request take-backs and draws, resign at any time, or lose on time. Self-analysis, spectating and live chat are supported as well.
Scanning with your mobile phone (WeChat, browser) makes playing Chinese Chess more convenient.
