Xiang Fu
Xiang Fu — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=chess&variant=xiang-fu
Xiang Fu (象孚) is a Xiangqi/chess hybrid created by Eventlesstew for the PyChess Variant Design Contest. It combines Xiangqi’s ranging pieces with a dual-Champion checkmate system inspired by Spartan Chess. Piece drops and the Crossbow (a diagonal Cannon) add further tactical depth.
The Board
A 9×9 grid. Each side’s two Champions are confined to a Ring — a designated zone in each player’s territory — and cannot leave it.
Starting Position
Pieces occupy only the outer quadrants of the board at the start, with the centre empty.
Black (top-left quadrant, ranks 1–3):
- Rank 1: Chariot© · Bishop(d) · Mahout(e)
- Rank 2: Cannon© · Crossbow(d) · Horse(e)
- Rank 3: Champion© · · Champion(e)
Red (bottom-right quadrant, ranks 7–9):
- Rank 7: Champion(e) · · Champion(g)
- Rank 8: Horse(e) · Crossbow(f) · Cannon(g)
- Rank 9: Mahout(e) · Bishop(f) · Chariot(g)
FEN: 2rbm4/2cwn4/2+g1+g4/9/9/9/4+G1+G2/4NWC2/4MBR2[] w - 0 1
(+G/+g = Champion (royal), R/r = Chariot, B/b = Bishop, M/m = Mahout, C/c = Cannon, W/w = Crossbow, N/n = Horse. Empty hand []. Red (w) moves first.)
Win Conditions (Spartan-style)
Each side has two Champions (royal pieces):
- To win, either: capture one of the opponent’s Champions (reducing them to a single Champion), then checkmate the remaining one in the standard way; OR
- Achieve Duple Checkmate — simultaneously attack both Champions so that neither can escape on the opponent’s next move.
Piece Drops
Pieces you capture go to your hand. On any turn, instead of moving a piece on the board, you may drop a captured piece onto any empty square within your own first two ranks.
Pieces
| Piece | Symbol | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | +G | Moves one square any direction. Royal. Confined to the Ring. |
| Pupil | G | Moves one square any direction. Non-royal. (A captured Champion enters hand as a Pupil.) |
| Chariot | R | Slides any number of squares orthogonally (Xiangqi Chariot = Rook). |
| Horse | N | One step orthogonally then one step diagonally outward (Xiangqi Horse). Blockable. |
| Cannon | C | Slides orthogonally freely; to capture, must jump over exactly one screen piece. |
| Crossbow | W | Slides diagonally freely; to capture, must jump over exactly one screen piece on the diagonal. Diagonal version of the Cannon. |
| Mahout | M | Moves two squares in any direction (orthogonally or diagonally). Not a jump; blocked by intervening pieces. |
| Bishop | B | Slides any number of squares diagonally (chess Bishop). Not blockable by intervening pieces for diagonal slides. |
Rules
- Champions are confined to the Ring at all times and cannot move outside it.
- Drops are limited to the dropping player’s own first two ranks.
- When a Champion is captured, it enters the opponent’s hand as a Pupil (non-royal) and may be dropped later.
- Stalemate and repetition work as in standard chess (draw), not Xiangqi rules.
- The Flying General rule (Generals cannot face each other on an open file) does not apply.
Attribution
Xiang Fu was designed by Eventlesstew for the PyChess Variant Design Contest. Board corrected to 9×9 (not 9×10 as originally described). Rules documented from pychess.org/variants/xiangfu.