Discover the depth of a single move on the traditional Korean chessboard. Janggi Battle puts you in command of pieces with very different strengths: chariots control open lines, cannons rely on intervening pieces, and horses and elephants need room to develop. The way you connect those pieces can create a different contest from the same starting position.
Choose solo play to face the AI and become familiar with the controls, or enter real-time play against other users. Available on PC and mobile, Janggi Battle invites you to balance attack and defense while building your own approach to the game.
How to play
- Set a nickname and choose solo play or a match against another player. AI play is a useful starting point for learning how to select and move pieces. The two sides alternate turns.
- Before the game, choose a starting arrangement for your horses and elephants. Four layouts are offered. Your selection changes the routes available to those pieces and the opening moves you may want to prepare.
- Select one of your pieces to see its available destinations. Janggi pieces stand on the intersections of the board's lines rather than inside the squares. Choose a marked intersection to make your move, then review the new position.
- Soldiers normally move one point forward or sideways and cannot retreat backward. Chariots travel along unobstructed horizontal and vertical lines. Learning these movements first provides a useful foundation for developing your position.
- Cannons need exactly one intervening piece to jump over when moving or capturing. That intervening piece cannot be another cannon, and a cannon cannot capture a cannon. Horses and elephants can also have their routes blocked, so check the destinations shown when you select them.
- Protect your general while building an attack on the opposing general. If your general is threatened, respond by removing the danger with a legal move. Coordinate your pieces to create an attack the opponent cannot escape, without leaving your own position undefended.
Strategy begins with the arrangement
Choosing the positions of your horses and elephants affects more than the appearance of the board. Different arrangements change which paths you need to open and where your pieces can become active. Try a familiar setup first, then compare the options created by another layout.
Give yourself a small opening objective: create space with a soldier, open a route for a chariot, or place a piece where it supports another. Sending everything forward at once can leave important defensive points exposed. Develop an attack while keeping the area around your general in mind.
Look beyond the available capture
When you can take an opposing piece, consider the position that follows. Can your piece be captured in return? Will a chariot gain an open line? Does the move create a useful screen for a cannon? The value of an exchange depends on the resulting arrangement as well as the pieces removed.
After the opponent moves, inspect the lines that have opened or closed. Do not look only at the piece that just changed position; a chariot or cannon behind it may now have a new threat. Read those changes before continuing with your own plan.
Pieces are most useful when their roles work together. A direct attack may need support, while a defensive move can also prepare an active piece for later. Think about connections across the board instead of treating every piece as a separate unit.
Practice alone, then meet different decisions
AI matches let you explore piece movement and the effect of each starting arrangement. Real-time matches add the variety of other players' choices, encouraging you to adapt instead of relying on a fixed sequence of moves.
The piece-and-destination controls keep the focus on the board. Before moving, check the safety of your general; after moving, study the reply. Whether you are learning your first routes or preparing a coordinated attack, Janggi Battle offers another position to understand with every turn.
