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Animal Chess

Guide

Animal Chess rules

Everything you need to know about Animal Chess (Dou Shou Qi, Jungle Chess, Safari Chess): animal ranks, river, traps, dens, how to win — plus tips to beat the AI.

The rules in 30 seconds

Animal Chess is a two-player strategy game on a 9 × 7 board. Each side has 8 animals ranked from Elephant (8) down to Rat (1); a piece captures enemies of equal or lower rank, except that the Rat captures the Elephant. Each turn you move one piece one square. Get a piece into the enemy den, or capture every enemy piece, to win.

Board
9 rows × 7 columns
Players
2
Pieces
8 × 2
First move
Red
Per move
90 seconds
Draw
Same position 5 times
Price
Free

How to play in 5 steps

  1. Set upEach side places its 8 animals on their starting squares; each den sits in the middle of that side's back row. Red at the bottom, Blue at the top.
  2. Take turnsRed moves first. On your turn pick one piece and move it one square along a row or column — never diagonally.
  3. Capture by rankMove onto an enemy piece to capture it if yours has equal or higher rank. The exception: the Rat captures the Elephant.
  4. Use the terrainThe Rat swims, the Lion and Tiger leap the river. Lure enemies into your traps, where even your smallest piece can capture them.
  5. Enter the den to winMove a piece into the enemy den, capture every enemy piece, or leave your opponent with no legal move to win.

The board & starting setup

The starting position: Red at the bottom, Blue at the top. Two lakes in the middle, and three traps around each den. Numbers are piece ranks.
  • River
  • Trap
  • Den
  • Red
  • Blue

The 8 animals and their strength

Listed for open ground without traps. A trap strips an enemy of all rank, and nobody captures across the water's edge.

  1. Elephant

    Rank 8

    The strongest piece, yet afraid of the Rat: the Rat captures the Elephant, the Elephant can't capture the Rat.

    Captures
    ElephantLionTigerLeopardWolfDogCat
    Captured by
    ElephantRat

  2. Lion

    Rank 7

    Leaps the river along rows and columns. On open ground only the Elephant and the enemy Lion can capture it.

    Captures
    LionTigerLeopardWolfDogCatRat
    Captured by
    ElephantLion

  3. Tiger

    Rank 6

    Leaps the river just like the Lion — a surprise attacker from across the water.

    Captures
    TigerLeopardWolfDogCatRat
    Captured by
    ElephantLionTiger

  4. Leopard

    Rank 5

    Can't leap the river, so it walks around the banks, but it's strong enough to sweep up small pieces.

    Captures
    LeopardWolfDogCatRat
    Captured by
    ElephantLionTigerLeopard

  5. Wolf

    Rank 4

    A flexible midfielder, often holding a flank or guarding a trap.

    Captures
    WolfDogCatRat
    Captured by
    ElephantLionTigerLeopardWolf

  6. Dog

    Rank 3

    The classic defender around its own den and traps.

    Captures
    DogCatRat
    Captured by
    ElephantLionTigerLeopardWolfDog

  7. Cat

    Rank 2

    Low rank, but it captures the Rat on land — a cheap, useful trap guard.

    Captures
    CatRat
    Captured by
    ElephantLionTigerLeopardWolfDogCat

  8. Rat

    Rank 1

    The only swimmer, the Elephant's nemesis, and from the water it blocks the Lion's and Tiger's leaps.

    Captures
    ElephantRat
    Captured by
    LionTigerLeopardWolfDogCatRat

Who captures whom

Rows are the attacker, columns the defender. The chart is computed straight from the game's engine, on open ground outside traps.

Who captures whom in Animal Chess (open ground, outside traps)
Attacker ↓ / Defender →ElephantLionTigerLeopardWolfDogCatRat
Elephant✓✓✓✓✓✓✓–
Lion–✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
Tiger––✓✓✓✓✓✓
Leopard–––✓✓✓✓✓
Wolf––––✓✓✓✓
Dog–––––✓✓✓
Cat––––––✓✓
Rat✓––––––✓

River, traps and dens

  • River: only the Rat can enter the water. The Lion & Tiger leap across the river along a row/column unless a Rat blocks the lane. No capture across the water–bank boundary: a Rat in the water can't capture a piece on land, nor the other way round. A Lion or Tiger leaping the river can still capture on its landing square.
  • Trap: an enemy standing on your trap loses its strength — any of your pieces can capture it.
  • Den: no piece may enter its own den. Moving a piece into the enemy den wins instantly.

Winning

Reach the enemy den, or capture all of the enemy pieces, or leave the enemy with no legal move.

Time & draws

Each move has 90 seconds. Online: each side gets 10, 30, or 60 minutes for the whole game (picked when the room is made). Run out and you lose. If the same position comes up 5 times the game is a draw — nobody can stall it out.

Strategy tips

Principles that seasoned players and the game's own AI both rely on.

  1. Keep your Rat near the riverIn the water the Rat is safe from every piece on land (only an enemy Rat in the water can take it), and it blocks the enemy Lion's and Tiger's leaps.
  2. Never park your Elephant next to the enemy RatThe Elephant is your strongest piece, but a Rat on land takes it at once. Check where the enemy Rat is before pushing your Elephant forward.
  3. Your traps are a wallAn enemy standing in your trap loses all rank — even the Elephant. One small piece near the trap is enough to punish an intruder.
  4. Two raiders at the den are hard to stopOne enemy next to your den can usually be captured in time; two at once are nearly impossible to hold. Defend early, not at the den's door.
  5. The Lion and Tiger are your spearheadsTheir river leap reaches the enemy half in a single move. Remember the opponent's Lion and Tiger are aiming at you too.
  6. The Rat is worth more than its rankIt's the only piece that beats the Elephant and blocks river leaps. Trading it for another small piece is usually a bad deal.
  7. Stalling doesn't workThe same position 5 times is a draw. If you're ahead, find a new plan instead of shuffling back and forth.
  8. Train against the AI, easy to hardEasy to learn the rules, Medium to practise thinking a few moves ahead, Hard to test yourself against an AI that reads dozens of moves deep.

Origins

Animal Chess (Dou Shou Qi, 斗兽棋 — “game of fighting animals”) is a traditional Chinese board game, also known as Jungle, Jungle Chess, Safari Chess or The Jungle Game. Its history is obscure; one theory is that it derives from xiangqi (Chinese chess). In the 1960s the British firm John Waddington marketed a version called “Jungle King”.

Source: Wikipedia

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Animal Chess (Dou Shou Qi)?

The board has 9 rows × 7 columns. Each piece moves 1 cell horizontally or vertically. Capture by moving onto a valid enemy cell. Winning: reach the enemy den, or capture all of the enemy pieces, or leave the enemy with no legal move.

What is the order of the Animal Chess pieces, strongest first?

From strongest to weakest: Elephant (8), Lion (7), Tiger (6), Leopard (5), Wolf (4), Dog (3), Cat (2), Rat (1).

Why can the rat capture the elephant in Animal Chess?

A higher-rank piece captures equal or lower ranks. Exception: the Rat (1) captures the Elephant (8), but the Elephant cannot capture the Rat.

Which pieces can enter the water or jump the river?

River: only the Rat can enter the water. The Lion & Tiger leap across the river along a row/column unless a Rat blocks the lane. No capture across the water–bank boundary: a Rat in the water can't capture a piece on land, nor the other way round. A Lion or Tiger leaping the river can still capture on its landing square.

What do traps and dens do in Animal Chess?

Trap: an enemy standing on your trap loses its strength — any of your pieces can capture it. Den: no piece may enter its own den. Moving a piece into the enemy den wins instantly.

How many pieces are there in Animal Chess?

Each side has 8 pieces — Elephant, Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Dog, Cat and Rat — 16 in total on a 9 × 7 board.

Who moves first in Animal Chess?

Red (the bottom side) moves first, then the players alternate, one piece per turn.

Can the Lion capture the Elephant?

No. The Elephant (8) outranks the Lion (7), so a Lion only captures an Elephant standing in the Lion's own trap. On open ground only the enemy Elephant and the Rat capture an Elephant.

Can a Rat in the river capture the Elephant?

No. Nobody captures across the water's edge, so the Rat must climb onto land first. While the Rat is in the water, only an enemy Rat in the water can capture it.

When is an Animal Chess game a draw?

When the same position (same pieces on the same squares, same side to move) occurs 5 times. The rule stops players from shuffling back and forth to stall.

Do I need an account to play Animal Chess online?

No. You can play the AI right away without an account. Sign in with Google for ELO ranking, coins, quests and achievements; guests can still join online rooms, but their games are unranked.

Where can I play Animal Chess online for free?

Animal Chess at https://chess.u3ih.io.vn is free to play in the browser, no app needed: six AI levels (Beginner/Easy/Medium/Hard/Expert/Master) or online matches against other players.