Xiangqi

Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) is one of the world's oldest and most-played strategy games, with over a thousand years of history. On a 9×10 board divided by the "Chu River and Han Border," two armies battle with Chariots, Horses, Cannons, Elephants, Advisors, and a General. Simple enough to learn in minutes, deep enough to study for a lifetime.

MeTool Xiangqi lets you play against AI directly in your browser — no registration, no download. You play Red (bottom), AI plays Black (top). Three difficulty levels: Easy for beginners learning piece movements, Medium for casual players who want a challenge, and Hard with full Minimax + Alpha-Beta pruning for serious strategy practice. The Cannon's unique capture rule, the Horse's blocking mechanic, and the "flying general" prohibition make every game unique.

If you know international Chess, Xiangqi will feel familiar — but there are crucial differences. The Cannon has no Chess equivalent: it slides like a Rook but can only capture by jumping over exactly one piece (the "cannon platform"). This makes it extremely powerful when pieces crowd the board, and weak in open endgames.

The Horse moves like a Chess Knight (one orthogonal + one diagonal) but can be blocked — if a piece occupies the first orthogonal step, the Horse cannot move in that direction. This "hobbled horse" tactic is central to defense in Xiangqi.

The General must stay in the 3×3 palace and cannot face the opponent's General with no pieces between them (the "flying general" rule). This creates unique tactical threats — you can sometimes force the enemy General to expose itself through clever piece alignment.

Chinese Chess is one of the oldest strategy training tools. Regular play brings the following growth:

① Strategic thinking and big-picture vision: Every move in chess balances attack and defense. You'll learn to "sacrifice a small piece for a major positional advantage" — a strategic mindset equally applicable to business decisions and career planning. Good players never focus on just the current move; they're always thinking three to five moves ahead.

② Focus and calculation: "Reading ahead" in chess requires mentally simulating multiple move sequences and your opponent's responses. As your skill improves, your calculation depth and accuracy increase markedly, making complex problem-solving at work more manageable.

③ Composure and emotional management: Staying calm when falling behind, searching for comeback opportunities — this is crucial psychological fitness. Chess teaches you: no matter how bad the position, never give up easily. One good move can turn everything around.

④ Cultural heritage and generational connection: Chinese Chess is a shared memory across generations. Learning to play means you can connect with parents and grandparents over the board. It's not just intellectual activity — it's a bridge for family bonds.

A Xiangqi game against a strong AI can take 20–60 minutes. MeTool Xiangqi's automatic progress saving means you never lose your place: after every move, the board position, turn indicator, move history, and AI difficulty are silently written to your browser's local storage. Close the tab, come back tomorrow — the game resumes from the exact position you left. Starting a new game clears the saved state. All data stays on your device; nothing is uploaded.