Xiangqi has one goal: leave the opposing general with nowhere to run. But a game does not always end in checkmate. Sometimes a player cannot move at all, sometimes both sides shuffle back and forth, and sometimes nobody can possibly win. This page covers every way a game can end, and says honestly how the computer on this site judges each one.
| Situation | Result | In one line |
|---|---|---|
| Checkmate | The mated side loses | In check, and no move gets out of it |
| Stalemate | The side that cannot move loses | Not in check, but no legal move at all |
| Perpetual check | The side giving check loses | The same position repeats and every move is a check |
| Repetition | Draw | The same position appears a third time, without perpetual check |
| Move limit | Draw | 60 moves in a row with no capture by either side |
| Insufficient material | Draw | Neither side has a chariot, horse, cannon or soldier |
Checkmate: in check with no way out
When a move threatens to capture your general, that is check. You must answer it, and there are only three ways: move the general, capture the checking piece, or block in between. If none of them works, it is checkmate and you lose.
Note that you may never leave your own general in check. A move that exposes your general — for example, moving away the piece that was shielding it — is simply illegal. That is why you never actually see a general captured on the board: the game is over at checkmate. For more mating patterns, see common checkmates.
Stalemate: not in check, but no move — and that loses
It is your turn, your general is not in check, but none of your pieces has a legal move. In xiangqi this is called *kunbi* (困斃), and it is a loss.
Chess players, take note: in chess, stalemate is a draw. In xiangqi, stalemate is a loss. Squeezing your opponent until they cannot move is a perfectly good way to win.
As long as any piece can still move, it is not stalemate:
Perpetual check: the side that keeps checking loses
When you cannot win and do not want to lose, the obvious trick seems to be checking forever: your opponent steps aside, you check again, they step back… Xiangqi does not allow this.
How this site judges it: when the same position appears for the third time, it looks back over every move in that cycle. If only one side gave check on every single move, that side is guilty of perpetual check and loses. If both sides checked every move, or neither did, it is judged as an ordinary repetition draw (next section).
Repetition: the third time the same position appears, it is a draw
If both sides shuffle back and forth until the board is exactly the same again — including whose turn it is — and that position is appearing for the third time without being perpetual check, this site declares a draw.
Official tournament rules go much further. They distinguish perpetual chasing (repeatedly threatening to capture one of the opponent's pieces), perpetual following, perpetual offering of exchanges, alternating check and idle moves and more; some of these lose and some draw. This site currently only separates "perpetual check" from "everything else", and everything else is a draw. See chasing below.
Move limit: 60 moves without a capture is a draw
If 60 moves in a row pass (60 by Red and 60 by Black, 120 in total) without anyone capturing a piece, this site declares a draw. The rule gives games where nobody can break through a proper end, instead of going on forever.
Any capture resets the count. Tournaments sometimes shorten or lengthen this number depending on the position; this site always uses 60 moves.
Insufficient material: nobody has an attacking piece
Only the chariot, horse, cannon and soldier can cross the river and give check. The general, advisors and elephants must stay on their own side and can never reach the enemy general. So when neither side has a chariot, horse, cannon or soldier, nobody can win and this site declares a draw immediately.
If either side still has a single soldier, it is not insufficient material — a soldier that has crossed the river, working with its general, can sometimes really win.
Resigning, draw offers and running out of time
These three endings only exist when playing real people online (online play on this site is still being prepared; these rules will apply when it launches):
- Resign: if you see no hope, you can resign and your opponent wins.
- Offer a draw: propose a draw; if your opponent accepts, the game is drawn.
- Time out: if you run out of time you lose — unless your opponent has no material that could ever checkmate you, in which case it is a draw.
For now, when you play xiangqi online against the computer, there is no clock and no draw offer; to stop, just press "New game".
Chasing: how this site currently handles it
"Perpetual chasing" (長捉) means one side threatens to capture a particular enemy piece on every move, forcing it to keep running, so the position keeps repeating. Tournaments usually rule that the chasing side loses, but deciding whether a move really counts as a chase is complicated (is the chased piece protected? is it an exchange?), and even referees reach for the rulebook.
The computer on this site does not judge chasing yet: a repetition caused by chasing is currently treated as an ordinary repetition draw. We would rather say that plainly than have the computer make wrong calls.
FAQ
Why is stalemate a loss and not a draw?
Because the xiangqi rule is simply "if it is your turn and you have no legal move, you lose", whether or not you are in check. It is the exact opposite of stalemate in chess, which is why players coming from chess get it wrong most often.
What is the difference between perpetual check and an ordinary check?
An ordinary check aims to mate; once your opponent escapes, you get on with something else. Perpetual check means checking on every move so the position keeps repeating, with the aim of forcing a draw — so it loses.
Both sides only have their general, advisors and elephants left. Do we keep playing?
No. None of those pieces can cross the river, so nobody can mate anybody, and this site declares a draw straight away.
How are the 60 moves counted?
One move by Red plus one move by Black counts as one move here. If 60 such moves (120 single moves) pass with no capture, the game is drawn; any capture restarts the count.
Why can't I make a move that puts my own general in check?
That is an illegal move, and this site will not let you play it. The usual cases: you moved away the piece shielding your general, or you walked your general onto an open file facing the enemy general.
Try it yourself
The quickest way to get these rules into your head is to play. Play xiangqi online against the computer, and when the game ends the screen will tell you whether it was checkmate, stalemate or a draw. To start from the beginning, go back to the xiangqi home page; to get every piece's moves down first, see the xiangqi pieces guide.
