Turn order: White → Black → Red in Three-Player Chess; Wei → Shu → Wu in Three Kingdoms Xiangqi. Each player competes independently.
Three Kingdoms Xiangqi
Wei, Shu and Wu meet on a board of 135 intersections. Modern rules, three independent armies.
Casual · three independent players · no rating changes
WeiShuWu
Rules
Play on 135 intersections. The central triangle has three distinct points; each inward line continues into a neighbouring kingdom. Dashed links mark river crossings.
Generals and guards stay in their own palace, and two generals may not face each other along an open line. Elephants stay in their territory and can be blocked at the eye; horses can be blocked at the leg. Cannons capture over exactly one screen. Soldiers gain sideways moves after crossing the river.
Both opponents can give check. You must leave your own king or general safe. Royals are never captured; checkmate is decided when the checked player's turn begins.
Mate, resignation or timeout eliminates one player. Their army stays as frozen, uncapturable blockers. The last active player wins; disconnection alone does not immediately eliminate anyone.
Threefold repetition, or 150 consecutive moves by all players without a capture or pawn/soldier move, draws the game. A player who is not in check but has no legal move: in Three-Player Chess, that turn is skipped while three players remain and the game is drawn when two remain; in Three Kingdoms Xiangqi, that player is eliminated. Historical Three Kingdoms special pieces and army transfer are not used.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Three Kingdoms Xiangqi.
A quick guide to Three Kingdoms Xiangqi
Read the Three Kingdoms Xiangqi rulesWhat is Three Kingdoms Xiangqi?
Three Kingdoms Xiangqi brings Wei, Shu and Wu onto a 135-intersection board. Each player starts with 16 pieces. ChessPlayX uses Modern v1 rules for the centre, palaces and elimination, with the last surviving player winning.
What happens to an eliminated player's pieces in Three Kingdoms Xiangqi?
They stay on the board, frozen. They never move again and cannot be captured, but they still block lines, horse legs and elephant eyes. Checkmate, resignation or timeout eliminates a player; a disconnection alone does not. The last player still in the game wins.
What if a player has no legal move in Three Kingdoms Xiangqi?
That player is eliminated, whether or not they are in check, as soon as their turn begins. This differs from Three-Player Chess, where stalemate only skips the turn. Both rivals can give check, and you must always leave your own general safe; generals may not face each other along an open line.
When is a Three Kingdoms Xiangqi game drawn?
When the same position occurs for the third time, or after 150 consecutive moves by all players without a capture or soldier move. These are ChessPlayX rules for this modern three-player design; it does not use the special pieces or army transfer of the historical Three Kingdoms game.
How can I play with a friend?
Share one device for a local game, or choose the friend option above to create an online room and send its invitation. Online games need an internet connection. Local games are saved in this browser.
Play Three Kingdoms Xiangqi on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Modern v1 · ChessPlayX three-player variant. Read the setup, legal moves, special rules and end conditions before starting. The guide describes the variant used on ChessPlayX, including differences from other versions where relevant.
Read the Three Kingdoms Xiangqi rulesCan I play against AI?
Choose AI mode to practice at your own pace. Start with a lower difficulty while learning the moves, then increase it when you can spot threats and plan your replies.