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Animal Chess

Jungle · Dou Shou Qi · 斗兽棋

The childhood classic from China: eight animals a side on a 7×9 board with two rivers, traps and a den. The elephant rules the jungle, except that the tiny rat can bring it down.

2 players
vs AI or a friend
Works offline
Free

How to play Animal Chess

From strongest to weakest: Elephant, Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Dog, Cat, Rat.
Animals move one square up, down, left or right, and capture an enemy of equal or lower rank.
The Rat can capture the Elephant, but the Elephant cannot capture the Rat.
Only the Rat may swim. Lions and Tigers leap across the river, unless a Rat in the water blocks the way.
An enemy standing in one of your traps loses its rank, so any of your animals can take it.
Walk into the opponent's den, or capture every enemy animal, to win.

Full rules with diagrams ↓

Animal Chess in Classic Board Games Offline

Every piece shows its rank, and a Ranks button explains them all.
Play the AI at three levels or a friend on one device.
Eleven more classic board games in the same free app, all playable offline.

Animal Chess rules in full

The board

Animal Chess is played on a board seven squares wide and nine long. Two rivers, each two squares wide and three long, fill the middle. Each player has a den in the middle of their back row, with three traps around it.

The opening position, Red at the top and Blue at the bottom. Numbers are ranks, from 8 for the Elephant down to 1 for the Rat. Blue squares are the rivers, ✕ squares are traps, and the dark arch is each side's den.

The animals

Rank	Animal	Special power
8	Elephant	Captures every animal except the Rat
7	Lion	Jumps over a river
6	Tiger	Jumps over a river
5	Leopard	–
4	Wolf	–
3	Dog	–
2	Cat	–
1	Rat	Swims in the river, and captures the Elephant

Moving and capturing

Players take turns moving one animal one square up, down, left or right. Animals never move diagonally.
Move onto an enemy animal to capture it. An animal can capture an enemy of the same rank or lower.
The exception works both ways: the Rat can capture the Elephant, and the Elephant can never capture the Rat.
No animal may enter its own den.

Rivers

① The Lion jumps the river lengthwise. ② The Tiger jumps it crosswise. ③ A Rat in the water blocks the way, so this Lion cannot jump.

Only the Rat can go into the water.
A Rat in the water and an animal on land cannot capture each other. Two Rats in the water can.
The Lion and the Tiger jump over a river in a straight line, lengthwise or crosswise, to the bank on the other side, and may capture an enemy standing there.
Any Rat in the water along the way, yours or your opponent's, blocks the jump.

Traps and dens

An enemy animal standing on one of your traps loses its rank, so any of your animals can capture it: even your Cat can take their Lion.
Your own animals keep their full rank on your traps.
Move any animal into your opponent's den and you win at once.

Winning and draws

You win by entering the enemy den, by capturing every enemy animal, or when your opponent has no legal move.
If the same position comes up five times with the same player to move, or both players make thirty moves without a capture, the app offers a draw. Accept it, or play on and the count starts again. Games between two AIs are drawn automatically.

Tips for your first games

Guard your Rat: it is the only animal that can capture the enemy Elephant outside your traps.
A Rat waiting in the water stops the enemy Lion and Tiger from jumping that river.
An enemy that reaches your traps is easy to capture, so keep a defender near your den.

More games in the app

Play Animal Chess for free

On Android phones and tablets, with no internet needed.