Random setup
Every game creates a different tactical story
CHINESE DARK CHESS
Play Banqi Online
Reveal the board, discover your army, and manage risk
Banqi, also called Chinese Dark Chess, uses Chinese Chess pieces on a compact 4×8 board. All pieces begin face down. Your first revealed color determines your army, and every turn balances information, mobility, and capture risk. Play in a phone or desktop browser, with no download or installation. Tap a face-down piece to reveal it; to move, select your revealed piece and then a legal destination.
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- Board
- 4 × 8
- AI difficulty levels
- 6
Six AI levels
Learn the rules, then sharpen risk calculation
Complete rules
Rank captures, pawn exception, and cannon screens
Revealing pieces and choosing sides
All 32 pieces are shuffled and placed face down. A turn may reveal one hidden piece. The color of your first reveal becomes your side, and you may then move only your own revealed pieces.
A hidden square may contain valuable strength or an immediate danger. Good decisions consider nearby mobility, the material already revealed, and which powerful pieces remain unknown.
- Most pieces move one square orthogonally.
- A piece cannot enter a square occupied by its own army.
- Face-down pieces cannot move and have no visible rank.
Rank captures and the cannon
Most revealed pieces capture equal or lower ranks. The pawn is the exception: it may capture the highest-ranking general, while a general may not capture a pawn.
The cannon ignores rank when capturing. It needs exactly one intervening piece between itself and a revealed enemy target, making hidden screens and open lines tactically important.
A practical Banqi strategy
Build mobility before exposing too many isolated pieces. Track unrevealed generals, pawns, and cannons, and evaluate the worst plausible result before flipping a square. In reduced positions, tempo and restricting legal moves often matter more than raw rank.
Two players
Find an opponent and start playing when matched.
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Two players →FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does the first revealed piece choose my side?
Yes. Its color becomes your army for the game.
Can a pawn capture a general?
Yes. The general cannot capture a pawn in return.
Does a cannon compare ranks?
No. It captures across exactly one screen regardless of rank.
What happens when a player cannot move?
A player who has all pieces captured or has no legal moves remaining (stalemate) loses the game.
Can a cannon jump over face-down pieces?
Yes. Any intervening piece—whether face-up or face-down—serves as a valid screen for cannon captures.
How do I start and play on a phone?
Play in a phone or desktop browser, with no download or installation. Tap a face-down piece to reveal it; to move, select your revealed piece and then a legal destination.
Ready to make the first move?
Start a Banqi game