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Janggi · Korean Chess (2 players)

Korean chess on one device — choose your horse/elephant setup, palace diagonals, cannon jumps, check and bikjang

  • ① Han picks a setup first, then Cho; Cho moves first
  • ② Tap a piece, then where it goes — captured pieces show on the cards
  • ③ The cannon moves only by jumping exactly one piece, never another cannon
  • ④ Lose your general and you lose — check is called but never enforced
Cho
moves0
Han

Janggi · Korean Chess (2 players) is a full game of janggi, the Korean relative of chess and xiangqi, played by two people passing one phone or sharing one screen. No sign-up, nothing to install: choose your horse and elephant setup and start. The app knows how every piece moves and refuses anything else, including palace diagonals, the cannon's jump, passing a turn and the bikjang draw. What it does not do is hold your hand. There are no move hints, and check is announced but never enforced: leave your general hanging and it gets captured, and that is the game. Mistakes count.

How to play

  1. Tap "Play together" on the title screen. Cho (green characters) sits at the bottom of the board and Han (red characters) at the top.
  2. A setup window appears first. Han chooses where its horses and elephants go, then Cho does the same. The four buttons (H·E·H·E, E·H·E·H, H·E·E·H, E·H·H·E, counted from your own left) each show a preview of the pieces. The default is horse-elephant-horse-elephant, and your choice is remembered for the next game. Tap "Start" when you are happy.
  3. Cho moves first. The player card of whoever is on turn glows with a lime border, so nobody has to ask whose move it is.
  4. Tap a piece and its square gets lime corners. No dots or rings show where it can go. Tap the destination and the piece moves; the last move's from and to squares stay marked with yellow corners. If that piece cannot reach the square you tapped, a red ring flashes there and the message "That piece cannot move there" appears. Tapping another of your own pieces moves the selection to it.
  5. Every piece you capture appears inside your player card as a small octagonal disc, lined up from most valuable to least (chariot, cannon, horse, elephant and guard, soldier). The number on the card is the total value of your pieces still on the board.
  6. The move counter and a one-line message in the middle keep you informed. When a general is in check its square glows red and "Check!" flashes across the screen. That is a warning only; nothing forces you to answer it.
  7. The tool bar underneath has Undo, Pass, New game, Resign and Face-to-face. Face-to-face rotates Han's pieces and player card 180 degrees so the person sitting opposite reads them the right way up. It is on by default on touch devices and the setting is saved on your device.
  8. When a general is captured or the game is drawn, the result overlay shows the winner (or a draw), the reason in one line ("General captured", "Bikjang — generals left facing each other" and so on), and "Series today", a tally of wins, losses and draws for as long as this page stays open. "Play again" starts the next game right away, and "Share result" sends the result text with a link to the app through your device's share sheet, or copies it.

Rules

The board is a 9 by 10 grid of lines on wood, with a palace on each side marked by diagonals. Pieces are octagonal discs with a Chinese character: Cho plays 楚 (general), 士 (guard), 車 (chariot), 馬 (horse), 象 (elephant), 包 (cannon) and 卒 (soldier); Han plays 漢, 士, 車, 馬, 象, 包 and 兵. This is how each of them moves, and the app accepts nothing outside these rules.

General (楚/漢) and guard (士)One step along a line, and only inside the palace. Diagonal steps are possible only from the palace corners and its centre.
Chariot (車)Any distance in a straight line until something blocks it, plus the diagonals inside a palace.
Horse (馬)One step straight, then one step diagonally outward. If the straight step is occupied, the horse cannot go that way.
Elephant (象)One step straight, then two steps diagonally outward. If either of the two squares along the way is occupied, the move is blocked.
Cannon (包)Moves in a straight line only by jumping over exactly one piece. A cannon can never jump over another cannon, nor capture one. Inside a palace it can also jump the centre piece along a diagonal.
Soldier (卒/兵)One step forward or sideways, never backward. Inside the enemy palace it may also advance along the diagonals.
  • Check and winning. Threatening the enemy general is check. The app marks the general's square in red and flashes "Check!", but it does not make you respond. If the side in check plays some other move, or passes, the opponent may simply take the general on the next move, and the game ends right there with "General captured" as the reason. Capturing the general is the only way to win on the board.
  • Exposing your own general. Allowed. You can move a guard off a palace diagonal or lift a piece that was shielding your general from a chariot; the app will not stop you. Your opponent is free to punish it.
  • Passing. As in real janggi, you may skip your turn with the Pass button at any time, even while in check, though passing in check usually means losing your general on the next move. Only when you have no legal move at all does the app pass for you automatically.
  • Bikjang. When the two generals face each other on the same file with nothing in between, the message "Bikjang!" appears. If the other side does not break the line with its next move (or pass), the game is a draw.
  • Other draws. If neither side can move, the game is drawn.
  • Undo and resign. While the game is running, Undo takes back the last move (including an automatic pass) as often as you like. Resign asks "Really resign?" and a second tap within 2.5 seconds gives the game to the other player.
  • Score and captured pieces. The number on each player card is the total value of that side's pieces still on the board: chariot 13, cannon 7, horse 5, elephant 3, guard 3, soldier 2, general 0. The small discs next to it are the enemy pieces that player has captured. Both are only a guide to who is ahead; they never decide the game.

Tips

  • The setup choice is your first strategic decision. Han chooses first, so Cho gets to see Han's arrangement before deciding. Think about where your elephants will be able to unfold in the opening.
  • A cannon is useless without something to jump. Early on, push a soldier or move a horse in front of your cannon to give it a springboard, and it can leap deep into the enemy camp in one move. Removing the piece in front of an enemy cannon disarms it.
  • The chariot is by far the strongest piece. Open a file by advancing or trading soldiers and send a chariot down it toward the enemy palace.
  • Horses and elephants are easy to block: a single soldier on the square they must pass through stops them cold. Use that to keep an enemy elephant out of your half.
  • Keep your guards next to the general. They cover the palace diagonals, which chariots and cannons love to use, and since the app lets you move a guard away even when that opens the diagonal, look twice before you do.
  • When "Check!" flashes, deal with it before anything else: move the general, block the line or capture the attacker. Any other move ends the game on the spot.
  • The reverse is also true. If your opponent ignores a check, take the general. In this app that is the win, not a formality.
  • If you are behind, aim for bikjang: clear the file between the generals and your opponent must break it or accept a draw. If you are ahead, always leave one piece between the generals.
  • Passing is a real move. When every move would weaken your position, pass and let your opponent commit first.

FAQ

What is the horse and elephant setup?

Before a game of janggi each side chooses the order of its horses and elephants in the back row. Counting from your own left there are four options: horse-elephant-horse-elephant, elephant-horse-elephant-horse, horse-elephant-elephant-horse and elephant-horse-horse-elephant. Here Han chooses first and Cho second, the buttons preview the pieces, and your last choice is kept for the next game.

Why don't I see where a piece can move?

That is by design. Tapping a piece only marks its square with lime corners; tap the destination and it moves. If the square is not reachable for that piece, a red ring flashes and "That piece cannot move there" appears, so you can find out by trying without breaking anything. The cannon trips people up most: it moves only by jumping over exactly one piece in a straight line, so with nothing to jump, or two or more pieces in the way, it has nowhere to go, and it can never jump over or capture another cannon.

What happens if I am in check and don't get out of it?

Your opponent takes your general on the next move and wins immediately. The app only announces check with the red glow and the "Check!" flash; it does not restrict your moves, and it lets you pass while in check too. Whatever you do next stands, because mistakes count here. If you would rather forgive one, Undo takes the move back, and there is no limit on how often you use it.

What does "Bikjang" mean?

It is the situation where both generals face each other on an open file. When it happens the app shows "Bikjang!". The side to move next has to break the line; if it does not, the game ends in a draw.

What are the number and the small discs on the player card?

The number is the total value of that player's remaining pieces: chariot 13, cannon 7, horse 5, elephant 3, guard 3, soldier 2, general 0. The small discs are the enemy pieces that player has captured, sorted from most valuable down. Both show who is ahead in material and nothing more; only capturing the general, bikjang, resignation or both sides being unable to move ends the game.

Can I play against the computer or online?

No. This is a two-player game on one device, with both players taking turns on the same screen. Use "Share result" to send the app link and challenge a friend to the next game.

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