FUN XIANGQI GUIDES
How to Move the Chariot in Xiangqi (俥 / 車)
By The Fun Xiangqi Team · Published · 3 min read
Video walkthrough coming soon
Steps
Find your chariots
Each side has two chariots: 俥 for Red, 車 for Black (many sets use 車 for both). They start in the two corners of your back line.
Move any distance along a line
A chariot moves forward, backward, left or right as many points as you like — one direction per move, like a rook in chess.
Stop at the first piece in the way
A chariot can't pass through other pieces. Its path ends at the first piece it meets, and it can't land on one of your own.
Capture the first enemy piece in its path
If that first piece belongs to your opponent, the chariot can capture it by moving onto its point.
Get your chariots out early
Chariots start in the corners with little room to work. Get them onto open lines in the first few moves so your strongest pieces join the game.
Where the chariot can go
The chariot is the simplest piece to learn and the strongest to have. From an open point in the middle of the board, it covers its whole file and its whole rank.
a b c d e f g h i
7 . . . . o . . . .
6 . . . . o . . . .
5 o o o o R o o P .
4 . . . . o . . . .
3 . . . . o . . . .
R = chariot on e5, o = points it can move to, P = a piece on h5. Going right, the chariot's path stops at h5: it can capture P if it's an enemy piece, but it can never reach i5 beyond it. Up, down and left, it can go as far as the board allows — the diagram only shows part of the file.
The river makes no difference. A chariot crosses it like any other line, and it can move in and out of the palace freely along the lines.
Why the chariot matters
Rough piece values put the chariot at about 9 points — sources differ — about twice a horse or cannon. That's why one of the first principles beginners learn is to get the chariots out early (in Vietnamese, ra xe sớm). In the starting position each chariot sits in a corner with little room: its own horse beside it, its own soldier further up the edge file. It usually takes a move or two to reach an open line where it can really work.
A chariot on an open file or line does a lot on its own: it can check the enemy general from a distance and switch sides of the board in a single move.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the chariots at home. A chariot still in its corner after several moves is your strongest piece doing nothing.
- Passing through pieces. The chariot always stops at the first piece in its path. Only the cannon can hop a piece, and only to capture.
- Trading a chariot cheaply. Giving up a chariot for a horse or cannon is usually a bad deal.
- Moving diagonally. The chariot only moves along the lines, never diagonally.
Quick questions
Is the chariot the same as a rook in chess? It moves the same way: any distance along a line, stopping at the first piece. There's just no castling in xiangqi.
Can the chariot go into the enemy palace? Yes. The palace only limits the general and advisors — the chariot moves through it like anywhere else.
Which piece should I develop first? There's no single answer, but opening lines for the chariots early is one of the most useful habits for a beginner.
If you haven't yet, read how to move the horse — the piece that often steps aside to let the chariot out. Then learn the chariot's trickier cousin in how to move the cannon, or start a free game from the Fun Xiangqi home page.