Best Free Chinese Chess

Chinese Chess is thought to be played by around one billion Chinese speakers around the world (and they can’t all be wrong!). Xiangqi—to give the game its Mandarin title—translates as Elephant Chess. It is actually a noble cousin of the modern Western game: both forms seem to have evolved from a common ancestor, presumably related to the legendary Indian game of Chaturanga.

The rules of Chinese chess are close enough to those of the Western game to make them easy to digest. But their differences make for subtlely different game play.

Chinese chess has attracted its fair share of interest from computer programmers, and even top players are meeting their match. The good news is that there are excellent freeware options for the delight of all sorts of players.

Qianhong is top recommended free Chinese chess and a remarkably user-friendly program for anyone new to the game. Same as other programs selected in this page, it helpfully provides an English user interface. You can opt for alternative board designs (in scalable sizes to suit your screen) and select Western-style chessmen. A complete Help manual is included.

To familiarize yourself with the game, you may find it useful to watch the computer play itself. When you decide to join in, Qianhong can also give you hints for your next move. Opening-book and end-game resources are also available.

Qianhong installs with a relatively weak built-in engine, which you may find fun to play against if you’re just starting out. However, you can also install a selection of stronger third-party engines, provided as plug-ins.

A particularly versatile (and popular) one is ElephantEye, and this can be set to six levels of strength ranging from ‘Beginner’ to ‘Overwhelming’. If you get to beat ElephantEye at the fifth level, you’ll have reached Grand Master level.

XieXie Freeware, a free version of XieXie Master, comes with rich features and a built-in engine strong enough for most players. You can choose a suitable level ranging from beginner to advanced, or select to play a handicapped or time limited game.

It has a nice user interface with three different board sizes, various sets of chessmen, and different board styles and colors. Other useful features include hints on best next move, undo/redo moves, load and save games, build own opening books, etc.

More advanced features, such as additional configuration of the chess engine, are only available in the paid version, but the free version is good enough for most average players.

HiddenLynx is a good choice for practicing or playing Chinese Chess. The simple user interface highlights available moves when you place the mouse cursor over a piece—great for learning the game. And you can undo and redo your moves.

The program comes with a built-in engine with 5 levels of strength. It saves games automatically, so you can adjourn and return to the board whenever you want.

Unlike Qianhong, HiddenLynx does not let you install third-party engines or edit opening books. But the program is portable. After downloading, just unzip to any folder you choose, click the executable, and start a game.

Another free program Milo's Chinese Chess is worth a try for practicing and playing the game as well. The 3D vivid interface together with animated legal moves enriches your game experience with the program.

It has a built-in engine with 6 levels of strength. You can undo/redo moves, open and save games, play full-screen or windowed.

Other display features include setting board texture, mirror effect and slide pieces, etc.

Play online Chinese chess straight from Internet Browser?

Coffee Chinese Chess will give you a good browser-based experience in playing against a computer opponent without the need to install any software. You can just go straight here, choose your pieces and play the game right away.

You can also play Chinese Chess with humans online. One popular option is to go to Playok.com - Xiangqi, log in with your member ID (free registration), select a set of chessmen and play among other members.

Both Chinese chess and Western chess are sharing some proximate game rules after evolving from the older game of Indian and Persian origin. For great free stuff of Western chess, take a look at Best Free Computer Chess.

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This article is maintained by volunteer editor Jojoyee. Registered site users are allowed to edit and improve this article wiki-style.

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