Janggi Free online game

What is it?

Janggi is Korea's traditional board game: capture the opposing general with your guards, chariots, cannons, horses, elephants and soldiers. Hanpanmadang's janggi follows the official rules of the Korea Janggi Federation. Han (the second player) sets up first, then Cho sets up, and Cho moves first.

Play the AI on easy, normal or hard, play two players on one phone, or play other people online. Win by checkmate, or when bikjang, two passes in a row or the move limit ends the game, the remaining piece points decide. Han receives a bonus, so there are no draws.

How to play

1. Tap a piece to see where it can go, then tap a spot to move. First Han chooses a setup (horse and elephant spots), then Cho does
2. Cho moves first. Cannons jump over one piece and can't jump over or capture cannons. Inside the palace, pieces also move along the diagonals
3. Checkmate wins. On bikjang, two passes in a row or 200 moves, piece points decide (chariot 13 · cannon 7 · horse 5 · elephant 3 · guard 3 · soldier 2 · Han bonus 1.5)

Difficulty and rankings

There's a weekly ranking and an all-time ranking; the weekly one resets every Monday at midnight (Korea time). For details, see the Help.

Good to know on Hanpanmadang

• Piece points are chariot 13 · cannon 7 · horse 5 · elephant 3 · guard 3 · soldier 2, for 72 points per side, and Han (the second player) gets a 1.5-point bonus. So a points decision can never be a draw.
• Bikjang (generals facing each other) can only be called after at least one piece has been captured, and if the generals still face each other after the reply, the remaining piece points decide. Two passes in a row or reaching 200 moves are also decided on points.
• The same position may appear up to 3 times; a move that would repeat it again is a foul and can't be played.

Common mistakes

Trying to push a cannon straight ahead.

A cannon can't advance on its own even into empty space. Find a line with exactly one piece in between, and make sure that piece isn't a cannon.

Leaving bikjang in place while behind on points.

If you leave bikjang in place, the game ends on points. Han has a 1.5-point bonus, so count the points and block if you are behind.

Looking for other moves without noticing you are in check.

When you are in check, your general glows red. Only moves that escape or block the check are allowed.

Tips

• A cannon must jump over exactly one piece to move, and cannons can never jump over or capture other cannons. Early on, step a soldier aside to give your cannon a piece to jump over.
• Horses and elephants are blocked when the first point on their path (and the next one for elephants) is occupied. Blocking the path of your opponent's horses and elephants is good defense.
• Inside a palace, pieces can also move along the diagonal lines. A chariot or cannon on the opponent's palace diagonal is very dangerous, so block it early.
• When you are in check you must escape or block it. Try to block in a way that checks the opponent back.
• When you are ahead on points, bikjang can end the game; when you are behind, avoid it. The chariot is the most valuable piece, so don't trade it away cheaply.