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Janggi
Korea's traditional two-player strategy game: Cho (blue) and Han (red) each place 16 pieces on the points where 9 vertical and 10 horizontal lines cross, and try to trap the opposing general. Palace diagonals, a cannon that must jump exactly one piece to move, and a choice of elephant-and-horse setup before play give it a different feel from chess.
Rules
Korea's traditional two-player strategy game: on the points where 9 vertical and 10 horizontal lines cross, Cho (blue) and Han (red) each command 16 pieces and try to trap the opposing general. Animated diagrams show how every piece moves.
Components
For two players: one plays Cho (楚, blue) and the other Han (漢, red). Each side has 16 pieces, 32 in all.
| Piece | Per side | Character | Point value |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 1 | Cho 楚 / Han 漢 | — |
| Chariot | 2 | 車 | 13 |
| Cannon | 2 | 包 | 7 |
| Horse | 2 | 馬 | 5 |
| Elephant | 2 | 象 | 3 |
| Guard | 2 | 士 | 3 |
| Soldier | 5 | Cho 卒 / Han 兵 | 2 |
The board is drawn with 9 vertical and 10 horizontal lines, and pieces sit on the points where lines cross, not inside squares. In the middle of each side's back area is a 3x3 zone with diagonal lines: the palace.
Pieces come in different sizes
The general is the largest, the chariot, cannon, horse and elephant come next, and the guards and soldiers are the smallest. The diagrams draw them at different sizes as well.
Setup and goal
The horse and elephant points on the back line are not fixed. Each player picks one of the four setups below. You may not put both horses, or both elephants, on the same side.
Horse–Elephant–Horse–Elephant: Right Elephant
Elephant–Horse–Elephant–Horse: Left Elephant
Horse–Elephant–Elephant–Horse: Inner Elephant
Elephant–Horse–Horse–Elephant: Outer Elephant
- 1Decide who plays Cho and who plays Han. In a KJA casual game, one player hides a 卒 soldier and a 兵 soldier in their two hands and the other picks Cho or Han by choosing a hand.
- 2Han (second player) sets up first, then Cho (first player) sets up after seeing it. Han may not change its horses and elephants once Cho has set up.
- 3Cho moves first. The goal is to leave the enemy general with no way to escape.
Turn flow
- 1Players alternate, each moving one of their own pieces once, following its movement rule.
- 2If an enemy piece is on the destination point, it is captured and removed from the board. You cannot move onto a point occupied by your own piece.
- 3If you have nothing useful to play, you may pass. Show it by lifting your general off the board and putting it back in place.
No take-backs
Once you lift a piece off its point you must move that piece, and once your hand leaves it the move stands. If you lift an enemy piece to capture it, you must capture it or pass. In tournaments, an illegal move loses the game (KJA game rules).
How the pieces move
| Piece | How it moves | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| General & Guard | One point along a line, in any direction, inside the palace | Cannot leave the palace. Diagonal steps only from points that have a diagonal line |
| Chariot | Any number of points horizontally or vertically until blocked | Also uses the diagonal lines inside a palace. One direction per move |
| Cannon | Like the chariot, but must jump exactly one piece | A cannon can neither jump nor capture another cannon |
| Horse | One point along a line, then one point diagonally outward | If the first point is occupied, it cannot go that way |
| Elephant | One point along a line, then two points diagonally the same way | Blocked if any point on the way is occupied |
| Soldier | One point forward or sideways | Never backward. Inside the enemy palace it may also step diagonally forward |
General & Guard
One point along a line inside the palace
Chariot
Any distance horizontally or vertically
Cannon
Only by jumping one piece — never a cannon
Horse
One straight + one diagonal, unless blocked
Elephant
One straight + two diagonal, unless blocked
Soldier
One point forward or sideways, never back
The horse and elephant start with a straight step
The first step of a horse or elephant always follows a horizontal or vertical line. It can never use a palace diagonal for that first step.
The palace diagonals
The diagonal lines in the palace are not only for the general and guards. Chariots, cannons and soldiers can also move along them while inside a palace. They are a shortcut toward the enemy general, so they matter in both attack and defence.
- The chariot slides along a diagonal until blocked. It moves in only one direction per move, so it cannot turn from a diagonal onto a straight line.
- The cannon moves diagonally only from a palace corner to the opposite corner, jumping the piece in the centre. It cannot jump a cannon there.
- Soldiers may use the diagonals only inside the enemy palace, and then only forward.
Check, checkmate and bikjang
- When your move threatens to capture the enemy general next turn, that is janggun (check). The checked player must move the general, block, or capture the checking piece. Such a reply is called meonggun.
- If there is no way to escape the check, it is checkmate, and that player loses immediately.
- In tournaments you do not have to say "janggun" aloud (KJA game rules).
- Placing your general outside the palace means you resign.
Bikjang is when the two generals face each other on the same file with nothing between them. When one player calls bikjang, the other must break it; if they cannot, the game is a bik (draw). The player who is ahead has to play so as to prevent bikjang.
When bikjang may be called depends on the organisation
The KJA allows it at any time in casual games, but in point-scored games only when both sides have under 30 points of pieces. The KOJF allows it from the move after any piece has been captured. Some casual players leave bikjang out entirely, so agree on it before you start.
Point scoring: in tournaments, if no checkmate happens, the result is decided by the points of the remaining pieces. Chariot 13, cannon 7, horse 5, elephant 3, guard 3 and soldier 2 make 72 per side, and Han, who moves second, starts at 73.5 with a 1.5-point bonus. The half point means a point count can never tie.
Repetition of the same moves is also handled differently. The KJA forbids repeating the same move three or more times (allowed when both sides are under 30 points), while the KOJF treats the fourth repetition as a loss.
Basic strategy
- In the starting position the cannons cannot move, because there is nothing to jump. Move a soldier or horse in front of a cannon first to give it a path.
- The chariot is the highest-value piece. Develop it early, but don't leave it on a point an enemy cannon or horse can attack.
- The palace diagonals are a shortcut for chariots and cannons. When the centre or corners of your palace are empty, check that no enemy chariot can come in.
- Horses and elephants cannot move when their path is blocked, so a piece on the blocking point of an enemy horse or elephant can pin it down.
Common questions
Q. Can my cannon capture the enemy cannon?
No. A cannon can neither jump nor capture another cannon, whether it is yours or the opponent's. Any other piece, friendly or enemy, can serve as the piece it jumps.
Q. Can I move a cannon on the first move?
Not from the starting position. There is either nothing to jump, or the only piece in line is a cannon, which cannot be jumped. Move a soldier or horse first to give it something to jump.
Q. Can the general escape out of the palace?
No. The general and guards can never leave the palace. Placing the general outside the palace is how you signal resignation.
Q. Who sets up the horses and elephants first?
Han (the second player) sets up first, then Cho (the first player) sets up after seeing it. Cho then makes the first move. Han may not change its setup after seeing Cho's.
Q. Does a soldier change when it reaches the far end?
No. Janggi has no promotion. A soldier on the last line cannot go further forward, so it can only move sideways.
Q. Can I pass at any time?
You may pass on your turn. If your general is in check, though, you must get out of check, so you cannot pass.
History and today
Janggi shares its roots with Chinese xiangqi, so the board and pieces look alike, but there are many differences. The general starts in the centre of the palace, there is no river across the middle so elephants can roam the whole board, and the horse and elephant points are chosen as a setup.
When the game reached Korea is not certain. The KJA cites the 'Sanghuiji' in the Gyegok-jip, the collected writings of Jang Yu published in 1643, as already recording the same arrangement used today, with the general in the centre surrounded by guards, elephants, horses, chariots, cannons and soldiers.
Today several organisations, including the Korea Janggi Association and the Korea Janggi Federation, run tournaments and grade players. The movement rules are the same everywhere, but details such as bikjang and repetition differ slightly between them.
Sources
Korea Janggi Association (KJA) official 'Piece Movement' page — general, guard, chariot, cannon, horse, elephant, soldier and the palace diagonalsKorea Janggi Association (KJA) official 'Game Rules' — setup order, touch-move, passing, bikjang, repetition, point scoring (Cho 72, Han 73.5)Korea Janggi Association (KJA) 'About Janggi' — Cho blue, Han red, Cho moves first, passing, bikjangKorea Janggi Association (KJA) 'History of Janggi' — the setup recorded in the Gyegok-jipKorea Janggi Federation (KOJF) rules (effective 1 January 2020) — cross-check of when bikjang may be called and how repetition is handledBoardGameGeek — Changgi (Janggi): players, age, playing time, weightWikipedia cross-check — JanggiNamuwiki cross-check — Janggi (Korean)Namuwiki cross-check — Janggi pieces and movement (Korean)Namuwiki cross-check — Bikjang (Korean)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-10-18
💡 Master tip
The cannon needs a piece to jump before it can move, so early on put a soldier or horse in front of it to open a path. The chariot is the highest-value piece, so check its lines before sending it out and don't lose it early; and remember that the palace diagonals are a shortcut chariots and cannons use to attack the general.
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Point-count scorer
Adds up the remaining pieces at chariot 13, cannon 7, horse 5, elephant 3, guard 3, soldier 2, plus Han's 1.5-point bonus
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Keeps each player to a fixed time budget, as in tournament play
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