Animal Chess

How to play Animal Chess (Jungle / Dou Shou Qi)

Animal Chess — also called Jungle, The Jungle Game or Dou Shou Qi (“Game of Fighting Animals”) — is a traditional Chinese two-player board game. It plays on a 7×9 grid and is easy to learn in a minute but full of clever traps. This is a same-screen, pass-and-play version: two people share one device, Red moves first, then you take turns. No computer opponent and no internet needed once the page has loaded.

The goal

Win by moving any one of your animals into your opponent’s den (the star square on their back row), or by capturing all of their pieces. You may never move a piece into your own den.

The animals and their ranking

Each side has eight animals. A piece can capture an enemy piece of the same rank or lower. From strongest to weakest:

• 🐘 Elephant (8) — strongest, but cannot take the Rat.
• 🦁 Lion (7) — can leap over the river.
• 🐯 Tiger (6) — can leap over the river.
• 🐆 Leopard (5)
• 🐺 Wolf (4)
• 🐶 Dog (3)
• 🐱 Cat (2)
• 🐀 Rat (1) — weakest, yet it is the only piece that can capture the Elephant, and the only one that can swim.

Moving and capturing

• Every animal moves one square up, down, left or right (never diagonally).
• You capture by moving onto an enemy piece you outrank (equal rank counts). The famous exception: the Rat beats the Elephant, but the Elephant can never beat the Rat.

The river

• The two blue blocks in the middle are water. Only the Rat may step into the river.
• A Rat in the water cannot capture (or be captured by) a piece on land, and a Rat in the water cannot capture the Elephant — it must be on land to do that. A Rat can capture an enemy Rat that is also in the water.
• The Lion and Tiger can jump over the river — horizontally or vertically — to land on the far bank, capturing an outranked enemy if one is there. A Rat sitting anywhere in that stretch of water blocks the jump.

Traps and dens

• The three squares around each den are traps. Any enemy animal standing on one of your traps temporarily drops to rank 0, so even your weakest piece can capture it there.
• You can never enter your own den, so it is a safe square — but leaving the squares around it undefended invites a dash for the win.

Tips for beginners

• Use your Rat aggressively — it neutralises the enemy Elephant and can hide in the river.
• Lions and Tigers are powerful because of the river jump, but watch for a defending Rat that cancels it.
• Lure strong enemy pieces onto your traps, then pick them off cheaply.
• Always keep a guard near your own den; one careless turn can lose the game instantly.

Frequently asked questions