Undercover Xiangqi

What is Undercover Xiangqi

Undercover Xiangqi is a hidden-information Chinese chess game that layers deception on top of traditional Xiangqi rules. The match starts with the General, Marshal, and all four Advisors already visible, while every other piece is covered and shuffled. In this variant, three covered pieces in each camp secretly belong to the opposing side, so the board is never as straightforward as it first looks.

The app is built for quick play on the web and supports both solo and private multiplayer matches. If you want a relaxed session, you can choose one of three computer difficulties. If you want a head-to-head game, you can create a private room and play against a friend.

Key features

Undercover Xiangqi focuses on hidden-piece play, turn-based tactics, and familiar Xiangqi movement rules.

• Three AI difficulties: Easy, Normal, and Hard.
• Private room play for two players.
• Covered pieces that must be revealed before they can move or capture.
• Possibility that a revealed piece switches to the other side.
• Standard Xiangqi logic still applies, including horse legs, elephant eyes, cannon screens, palaces, rivers, and facing generals.
• Per-turn timing in private matches, with 60 seconds allotted for each turn.
• Timeout handling: a missed turn is skipped, and three timeouts end the match.

The game’s main twist is information control. A covered piece can sit on the board, but it cannot move, attack, check, or capture until it is uncovered. That makes the early game of this Chinese chess game less about pure calculation and more about inference, board reading, and controlled reveals.

How to use it

Playing Undercover Xiangqi is straightforward, but your first few turns matter a lot because every reveal can reshape the position.

1. Choose whether you want to play against the computer or in a private room.
2. If you pick the computer, select Easy, Normal, or Hard.
3. If you want a friend match, create a private room and share it.
4. On your turn, either move one revealed piece you control or reveal any covered piece on the board.
5. Remember that a covered piece cannot act until it is revealed, even if it is already on a strong square.
6. Once revealed, the piece becomes its true side and follows normal Xiangqi movement and capture rules.
7. Watch for check and checkmate, because the win condition is still based on classic Chinese chess.

A useful habit in this Chinese chess game is to treat reveals as strategic commitments, not just curiosity. Because every action passes the turn, a reveal does not give you an extra move afterward. That means you should reveal when the board position can benefit from the new information immediately.

Who it is for

Undercover Xiangqi is a good fit for players who already know Xiangqi or want a fresh twist on the classic board game.

• Chinese chess players who want a more deceptive, high-uncertainty variant.
• Strategy fans who enjoy hidden-information games.
• Casual players looking for a solo match against AI without installing an app.
• Friends who want a private two-player board game session in the browser.
• Players who like rules that still preserve the structure of Xiangqi while adding surprise outcomes.

The app may also appeal to people who enjoy testing memory and pattern recognition. Because some pieces begin covered and allegiance can change after reveal, you need to track not just piece movement but also what each hidden piece might become once exposed.

What to know before you use it

This Chinese chess game keeps many standard Xiangqi constraints, so it is not a simplified chess clone. The horse, elephant, cannon, palace, river, and facing-general rules all still matter, and an elephant revealed across the river may return home but cannot cross back again after returning.

A few caveats are worth knowing before you start:

• Covered pieces cannot move, capture, attack, or give check until they are revealed.
• A piece’s background color shows its current controller, but its identity may still be hidden until reveal.
• A reveal or a betrayal does not grant an extra response move.
• While you are in check, covered pieces cannot be moved or revealed in place.
• Private matches have a 60-second turn limit, and three timeouts lose the match.

This means Undercover Xiangqi is best used for casual competitive play and learning the variant’s logic, not as an official rules reference for all Chinese chess formats. If you need tournament-standard Xiangqi rules or dispute resolution, use an authoritative Xiangqi source or an official rules set instead. For browser play, though, this Chinese chess game offers a clean way to practice hidden-piece tactics and play out short strategic matches online.