FUN XIANGQI GUIDES
How to Move the General in Xiangqi (帥 / 將)
By The Fun Xiangqi Team · Published · 3 min read
Video walkthrough coming soon
Steps
Find your general
Each side has one general: 帥 for Red, 將 for Black. It starts on the middle point of your back line, inside the palace.
Move it one point along a line
The general steps exactly one point forward, backward, left or right along the lines. It never moves diagonally.
Keep it inside the palace
The general can never leave its palace, the 3×3 block of nine points with an X. At the palace edge, any step that would go outside simply isn't allowed.
Never let the generals face each other
The two generals may never stand on the same file with nothing between them. Any move that would leave them facing like that is illegal — even a move by another piece that steps out of the way.
Capture, and answer every check
The general captures by stepping onto an enemy piece one point away along a line, inside the palace. When your general is attacked — in check — you must deal with it at once; if you can't, it's checkmate and you lose.
Where the general can go
The general is the piece the whole game is about: checkmate the enemy general and you win; get yours checkmated and you lose. Yet it is also the most limited piece on the board. It lives in the palace, and from any point there it has at most four moves.
d e f
3 . o .
2 o G o
1 . o .
G = general in the centre of Red's palace, o = the points it can step to. From a corner of the palace it has only two moves, and from the middle of an edge it has three. That's the general's whole world: nine points.
The facing-generals rule
One rule makes the general stronger than it looks. The two generals may never face each other on the same file with nothing in between.
e
10 G Black's general
9 .
8 .
...
2 .
1 G Red's general
If the file between them is empty like this, the position can't happen — whichever side's move would create it isn't allowed to make that move. In practice this means a general controls the open file in front of it: the enemy general can't step onto that file, and a piece standing between the two generals may be pinned there, because moving it away would leave them facing.
Common mistakes
- Moving the general diagonally. Only the advisors use the palace diagonals. The general always moves along the lines.
- Walking the general out of the palace. It can't leave, not even to escape a check. If every palace point it could step to is covered, there's nowhere for it to run — you'll have to block or capture the attacker instead.
- Forgetting the open file. A piece that shields your general from the enemy general can't just walk away. Check the file before you move it.
- Ignoring stalemate. In xiangqi, a side with no legal move loses. Leaving your opponent without a move wins the game — and running out of moves yourself loses it.
Quick questions
Can the general capture? Yes. It captures by stepping onto an enemy piece one point away along a line, as long as that point is inside its palace.
Is the general the same as the king in chess? It plays a similar role — the game ends when it's checkmated — but it moves only along the lines and never leaves the palace.
What's the best way to practise checkmates? Fun Xiangqi has 160 challenges, from cannon basics through palace mates, and the first two chapters are free.
The general's home is easier to picture once you know the board: see what the palace and river are. Next, meet the general's closest guards in how to move the advisor, or start a free game from the Fun Xiangqi home page.