Lesson Two – the pieces

Each turn a player can move one of his pieces on the board. But pieces have limited movements. Let’s see what moves are possible.

 King – the most important piece. Taking a king finishes the game. The king can move to a chosen adjacent square. Each player has 1 king.

Rook – the strongest piece. The rook can move horizontally or vertically onto a chosen square, but it cannot jump over other pieces. Each player has 1 rook.

Bishop – usually as strong as the rook. The bishop can move diagonally onto a chosen square, but it cannot jump over other pieces. Each player has 1 bishop.

Gold General – king’s helper. The gold can move similarly to the king, but excluding the back diagonal squares. Each player has 2 gold generals.

Silver General – good attacker. The silver can move similarly to the king, but excluding the side and back squares. Each player has 2 silver generals.

Knight – it can jump through the board quickly. The knight moves in a weird way: count two steps forward, then choose the left or right square. Only the knight can jump over other pieces. It cannot retreat. Each player has 2 knights.

Lance – far-reach piece. The lance moves only forward by a chosen number of squares. It cannot jump over the pieces and cannot retreat. Each player has 2 lances.

Pawn – the smallest piece but the biggest in number. The pawn can move only one square forward. It cannot retreat. Each player has 9 pawns.

This is the initial position for the whole board. You do not need to remember it for now.

Now that you know your team, let’s see what it can do.

Go to the next lesson