Banqi - Dark Chess Flip Battle
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About this game
Banqi is the half-board xiangqi variant that turns opening luck into reading skill: thirty-two face-down pieces from both armies share one 4×8 field, and every flip rewrites the map. Take a turn by flipping a piece, marching one of your own a square, or capturing by rank — general, advisor, elephant, chariot, horse, soldier — with two twists: the lowly soldier slays the general, and the cannon strikes along open lines by jumping over exactly one screen piece, friendly or enemy. The ambush phase gives way to a pure tactics race as the board empties, and the AI opponent counts values two plies deep without ever feeding you a free capture. Wipe out every revealed enemy piece to win, with a stalemate guard for careful play. Crisp piece faces, one-tap controls, a landscape board that fits any phone or desktop. Free, no download, five minutes a match.
How to play
Tap a face-down piece to flip it. Tap your own revealed piece, then an adjacent square to move, or a capturable piece to take it. Cannons capture by jumping over exactly one piece along a row or column.
Tips & Tricks
- Early flips are information: prefer flipping near your revealed strength to build a battle line.
- The cannon is a sniper — keep one screen piece between it and the biggest enemy target.
- Soldiers are cheap but they eat generals: never leave your general adjacent to one.
- Count revealed pieces: when the enemy has only one strong piece left, trade everything else first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capture order?
General 7, advisor 6, elephant 5, chariot 4, horse 3, soldier 1. A piece captures any adjacent enemy of equal or lower rank, with one reversal: the soldier (1) captures the general (7). The cannon ignores ranks entirely and captures by jumping exactly one screen piece.
How does the game end?
You win when the rival has no revealed pieces left once every piece is on its face. If a player has no legal action on their turn, they lose. Forty consecutive quiet moves end the game in a draw that immediately re-deals.
Do face-down pieces belong to anyone?
Not until flipped — either army's pieces hide under any cover. That is why flipping order is strategy: every reveal can strengthen or expose you.
