Sign in to play against someone else — a move whenever you both
get a minute, like correspondence chess.
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How to play
Twelve Janggi is Korean chess shrunk to a 3×4 board and four
pieces a side. Everything you capture comes back — as your piece.
The board
Three files (a, b, c) and four ranks. Red starts at the bottom and moves first.
Each side lines up a Minister, a King and a General on their own back rank —
in that order, left to right from where they sit — with a single Man in front
of the King. The show plays the same board turned on its side, with the two
players facing each other across it; this is the same position, rotated to fit
a phone.
Movement
Every piece moves exactly one square — nothing slides. The dots printed around
each piece show the directions it can go, so you never have to memorise them.
Capturing and drops
Move onto an enemy piece to capture it. The captured piece changes sides and goes
into your hand. On any later turn you may drop a piece from your hand onto
an empty square instead of moving — it comes back facing your way.
The one restriction: you may not drop into the opponent's back rank. Their
home is theirs to defend, and you cannot simply parachute a piece onto the square
your King is trying to reach. Everywhere else is fair game, including doubling two
Men on one file.
A Feudal Lord that gets captured reverts to a plain Man in your hand.
Promotion
A Man that reaches the opponent's back rank must promote to a Feudal Lord,
which moves like a King but cannot step backwards diagonally.
Winning
Capture the King. There is no checkmate here — you win by actually
taking it.
The Try. Step your King onto the opponent's back rank. You win —
unless they capture your King on their very next move. Miss that capture and
the game is over.
A player with no legal move loses. The same position occurring
three times is a draw.
One warning
Nothing stops you moving your King onto a square where it can be taken — squares
like that are outlined in red, and a banner warns you when your King is already
under attack. Watching out for it is your job, not the rules'.
Playing over days
Sign in and start a game against someone on the allowlist. Neither of you has to
be online at the same time — play a move whenever you get a minute and it will be
waiting for them. Turn on notifications and your phone will tell you when it's
your move. Either of you can ask for a takeback; it only happens if the other
one agrees.