Minixiangqi
Minixiangqi — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=xiangqi&variant=minixiangqi
Minixiangqi is Xiangqi condensed to a 7×7 board. It was invented in 1973 by Shigenobu Kusumoto of Osaka, Japan. The game preserves the essential character of Xiangqi — the General in a palace, the screen-jumping Cannon, the blockable Horse — while removing the pieces that depend most on board depth.
Piece Set
Minixiangqi removes the Advisor and Elephant from both sides. Each side has: General (1), Horses (2), Chariots (2), Cannons (2), Soldiers (5).
Setup
Board: 7 files (a–g) × 7 ranks. Pieces are placed on intersections. There is no river. Each side has a palace: a 3×3 box (with diagonal lines) in one corner of the board. The General cannot leave its palace.
Starting position:
| Rank | Contents |
|---|---|
| Rank 7 (Black back) | Chariot(a) · Cannon(b) · Horse© · General(d) · Horse(e) · Cannon(f) · Chariot(g) |
| Rank 6 (Black soldiers) | Soldier(a) · · Soldier© · Soldier(d) · Soldier(e) · · Soldier(g) |
| Ranks 3–5 | Empty |
| Rank 2 (Red soldiers) | Soldier(a) · · Soldier© · Soldier(d) · Soldier(e) · · Soldier(g) |
| Rank 1 (Red back) | Chariot(a) · Cannon(b) · Horse© · General(d) · Horse(e) · Cannon(f) · Chariot(g) |
Red moves first.
FEN: rcnkncr/p1ppp1p/7/7/7/P1PPP1P/RCNKNCR w - - 0 1
(R/r = Chariot, C/c = Cannon, N/n = Horse, K/k = General, P/p = Soldier.)
Pieces
| Piece | Movement |
|---|---|
| General (K) | One step orthogonally or along palace diagonal lines. Confined to the palace. Flying General rule applies. |
| Chariot ® | Slides any number of squares orthogonally. |
| Cannon © | Slides orthogonally freely; to capture, must jump over exactly one screen piece. |
| Horse (N) | One step orthogonally, then one step diagonally outward. Blocked if the orthogonal step is occupied. |
| Soldier (P) | One step forward or one step sideways from the start. |
Rules
All standard Xiangqi rules apply with these differences:
No river. The board is undivided.
No Advisors or Elephants.
Soldiers move sideways from the start. In standard Xiangqi, Soldiers gain lateral movement only after crossing the river. Since Minixiangqi has no river, Soldiers can always move one square forward or sideways.
Flying General rule applies as normal: the two Generals cannot face each other on an open file.
Stalemate is a loss for the player who cannot move.
Perpetual checks and chases: A player making perpetual checks or perpetually chasing an unprotected piece is ruled to have lost unless they stop.
Win Conditions
Checkmate the opponent’s General. The General may never move into or remain in check. Stalemate is a loss.
Attribution
Minixiangqi was invented by Shigenobu Kusumoto, Osaka, Japan, 1973. Public domain. Rules documented from pychess.org/variants/minixiangqi.