Army Chess vs AI
This is flip-style Army Chess (Luzhanqi / 军棋): pieces start face-down, battles resolve instantly — no referee. Choose dark chess or full-board flip mode, with railroad tactics, camp safety, and mine-guarded flags. Play three AI levels, pass-and-play, or share an online room link.
Army Chess on this site is a two-player strategy game on a 5×12 board. Every piece begins hidden; each turn you either flip one face-down piece or move a revealed piece of your side. Higher rank captures lower; equal ranks mutual-kill. The Flag and Mines never move; Bombs trade with almost anything; only Engineers defuse mines and survive. Capture the enemy flag or leave them with no legal flip or move to win. The rules below are the ones this game actually runs — not every regional Luzhanqi variant.
Why Play Army Chess Here
Everything runs in your browser — no app install and no account. Choose dark chess or flip mode, pick easy / medium / hard AI, or invite a friend on one screen or via an online room.
Undo and full replay are built in. Rank order, mines, bombs and railroad rules are explained in the sections below.
Two Modes: Dark Chess & Flip Chess
Dark chess (暗棋): each side hides 25 pieces face-down in its own half. On your turn, flip one hidden piece or move one revealed piece of yours — flipping costs the whole turn.
Flip chess (翻棋): all 50 pieces are shuffled and placed face-down across the entire board with no fixed half ownership. Every flip is a gamble; games are faster and more chaotic.
Ranks and Special Pieces
Fighting rank from high to low: Commander, General, Division, Brigade, Regiment, Battalion, Company, Platoon, Engineer. Higher rank eats lower on attack; same rank removes both.
Flag (1, immobile): must sit in headquarters; any enemy piece that captures it wins instantly. Mine (3, immobile): only Engineers defuse and survive — all other attackers die with the mine. Bomb (2, movable): mutual destruction with any fighting piece, including Commanders.
Movement and Combat
Normal steps: move one step along any board line — including diagonal links between camps.
Railroads: Commander through Platoon and Bombs may slide any distance in a straight line along railroad tracks. Engineers alone may turn corners and travel the whole rail network.
Camp safety: a piece standing in a camp circle cannot be captured — camps are safe havens and staging points.
Bombs: any fight involving a bomb destroys both pieces. Mines: only Engineers capture mines and stay; everyone else dies with the mine.
Setup Restrictions
The Flag must be placed in headquarters. Mines may only sit in your back two rows; this game auto-guards the flag by placing mines on key approach squares — you usually need Engineers or Bombs to clear a path.
Bombs cannot be placed on the front row. Dark mode uses a randomized legal layout each game; flip mode shuffles all pieces across the board.
How to Win
Capture the enemy flag immediately wins.
If a side has no legal flip or move (no hidden pieces left to flip and no movable revealed pieces), that side loses.
Different from Standard Luzhanqi
Flip reveal: identities are hidden until flipped and fights resolve on the spot — no human referee.
Headquarters are not permanent prisons: pieces that enter HQ can still move out in this version.
No “Commander death reveals the Flag” rule — the flag stays hidden until flipped or reached.
Practical Tips
- Treat flips as buying information — do not flip blindly every turn.
- Save Engineers until enemy mines block the flag path.
- Hold Bombs to threaten big pieces, not to blow up mines.
- Dodge pursuers into camps; use railroads to rush Engineers or slide Bombs.
- Do not march Commanders or Generals beside unknown face-down pieces — Bombs trade evenly.
- After each game, replay 3–5 key turns and ask whether you paid too much for information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the piece rank order?
Commander > General > Division > Brigade > Regiment > Battalion > Company > Platoon > Engineer. Same rank mutual-kill. Flag, mines and bombs ignore rank — see the “Ranks and Special Pieces” section above.
Who can use the railroad?
On railroad tracks, Commander through Platoon and Bombs slide straight any distance. Only Engineers may turn corners and roam the full rail network.
Can Engineers defuse mines?
Yes — Engineers are the only piece that captures a mine and survives. Every other attacker dies with the mine.
Are pieces in camps safe?
Yes. Enemy pieces cannot capture a piece that is standing in a camp circle.
Dark chess vs flip chess?
Dark chess hides 25 pieces per side in home camps. Flip chess shuffles all 50 pieces face-down across the whole board.
How is the flag protected?
The flag stays in HQ. Mines are limited to your back two rows and the game prefers to guard the flag’s approach squares — expect to dig with Engineers or blast with Bombs before a flag run.
Can I play online or vs AI?
Yes — Solo vs AI (easy / medium / hard), Same Device pass-and-play, or Open Room to share a link for remote play.
