Guided lessons

Learn Xiangqi

From the pieces and the board to tactics, endgames and checkmate patterns. Every step is hands-on — get it right on the board to move on.

The game itself

Rules, tactics, openings and middlegame thinking.

The board, the seven pieces, check and mate

Open lines, the river bank, the back rank

Eight points, hobbled legs, the river mouth

Screens, the empty file, the river sweep

Cross, stay high, never retreat

The palace diagonals, the elephant's field, the full fortress

Nine points, the join-in, safety first

Forks, pins, discovered attacks and the sense for trades

Fast development, sound structures, open chariot lines

Material, initiative, sacrifice, direction, safety

Tempo moves, material hunts, counter-mates

Six classical systems and their plans

Exchanges, sacrifices, blockades and the palace gates

Checkmate patterns, endgame technique and full practice games.

Eight mating shapes every player must own

Winning techniques and book draws every player must know

Two annotated games and two bouts with the engine

Staggered chariots, corner horses, hollow files and the silent move

Winning with pawns, horses and chariots — and holding with less

The classic endgames, played out against the engine

Model attacks, model defences — then four rounds with the engine

112 lessons, all authored for this site.