Mini Xiang Qi

Mini XiangQi is one of several small variants of Xiangqi (Chinese Chess). Each player has an army of 12 pieces (one General, two Knights, two Cannons, two Chariots, and five Soldiers); unlike the parent game, there are no Guards or Elephants. The rules are the same as XiangQi except that soldiers may move and capture one space to the side from their first move. There is no river to cross and no promotion. In addition, except for the General, no pieces are restricted to the fortress. In the Leopard variant of Mini XiangQi, each player also has two leopards. Leopards move one space orthagonally or two spaces diagonally. They are allowed to capture only when making the two-space move. When making the two-space move, the leopard may jump over a piece (friendly or enemy) on the intervening point, although the jumped piece is not captured. Leopards are stronger pieces than elephants in standard XiangQi because they are capable of reaching any space on the board.