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Games where it is your turn to play
How to Play Janggi
Janggi is Korean chess. Like Xiangqi, it is played on a 9 by 10 board, except that the board doesn't have a river. It uses Blue and Red pieces where Xiangqi uses Red and Black (so the Red ones are on the other side). Blue moves first. Click or drag pieces on the interactive boards below to explore their moves; use each reset link to restore its example.
The boards use westernized pieces by default. Change piece style in the settings if you prefer traditional Janggi characters.
Piece style
Visual style of the board pieces.
Move format
Notation shown in the move list.
Show coordinates
Display board coordinates around the board edges.
Coordinates
Numeral system used for board coordinates.
⚠ Warning: the chosen coordinates don't match the move format family (WXF vs Algebraic).
Flip opponent pieces
Rotate opponent pieces 180° to match the OTB appearance.
Play sounds
Play board sounds when opponent joined the game, play a move, etc.
Colorblind black pieces
Increase contrast for black pieces.
Colored areas
Highlight river (blue) and palace (green) areas.
Pieces and moves
General (초 or 楚 / 한 or 漢)
The General moves one point orthogonally or along a marked palace diagonal. It must stay inside its 3 by 3 palace.
It is represented by the letter K in FEN.
Guard (사 or 士)
The Guard moves like the General: one point orthogonally or along a marked palace diagonal. It cannot leave its palace.
It is represented by the letter A in FEN.
Chariot (차 or 車)
The Chariot moves any distance orthogonally. It can also follow the marked diagonal lines through either palace. Pieces block its path.
It is similar to the Rook in western chess or the Chariot in Xiangqi.
It is represented by the letter R in FEN.
Cannon (포 or 包)
The Cannon must jump over exactly one piece to move or capture. It cannot jump over another Cannon or capture one.
It is represented by the letter C in FEN.
Horse (마 or 馬)
The Horse moves one point orthogonally, then one point diagonally outward. A piece on the first point blocks the move. It is similar to the Horse in Xiangqi.
It is represented by the letter N in FEN.
Elephant (상 or 象)
The Elephant moves one point orthogonally, then two points diagonally in the same direction. Pieces on either diagonal step block the move.
It is represented by the letter B in FEN.
Soldier (졸 or 卒 / 병 or 兵)
The Soldier moves one point forward or sideways, but never backward. Inside the opponent's palace, it can also move forward along marked diagonal lines.
It is represented by the letter P in FEN.
Ending the game
Checkmate wins the game. Janggi Player-vs-Bot is still in beta: neither player can pass, and stalemate ends the game in a draw rather than a loss. If a move leaves the generals facing each other without a piece between them (bikjang), the next move must separate them. Accepting bikjang by passing, automatic insufficient-material draws, and repetition draws are not supported yet.
Setups
Each player starts with 1 General, 2 Guards, 2 Elephants, 2 Horses, 2 Chariots, 2 Cannons, and 5 Soldiers. The General and Guards start in the palace. Each player chooses their starting arrangement independently.
- Inner Elephant: Elephants sit next to Advisors,
rnba1abnr. - Outer Elephant: Elephants sit between the Chariots and the Horses,
rbna1anbr. - Right Elephant: Elephants sit between on the right of the horses,
rnba1anbr. - Left Elephant: Elephants sit between on the left of the horses,
rbna1abnr. - Central Chariot: Elephants sit in the corners and the Chariots next to the Advisors,
bnra1arnb. Nowadays, the setup is mostly played in North Korean.
Generals, Cannons, and Soldiers keep the same starting positions in every setup.
Red's back rank is the first, lowercase rank in FEN; Blue's is the last, uppercase rank. Blue moves first.
Starting position
Pick one setup for each side to preview any of the 25 starting combinations.