Overview

Commander Chess (Cờ Tư Lệnh) is a xiangqi variant designed to simulate modern combined arms warfare. Created by Hải Quý Nguyễn, the game features 38 pieces (19 per player) representing military units including infantry, tanks, artillery, navy, and air force on a board divided by a river, with a sea zone on one side. Players maneuver their forces to capture the opponent’s Commander or eliminate an entire division.

Components

• 1 game board (11 lines wide by 12 lines long, divided by a river, with a sea zone on one flank)
• 38 pieces total: 19 per player in two colors
• Pieces represent: Commander (1), Infantry (multiple), Tanks, Artillery, Anti-Aircraft guns, Navy, Air Force units

Setup

1. Place the board between players with each player’s territory on their side of the river.
2. The sea occupies three files on one side of the board.
3. Each player arranges their 19 pieces on designated starting intersections within their territory according to the standard configuration.
4. One player plays the attacking side; the other defends.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn:

1. Move one piece according to its movement rules.
2. Attack an enemy piece if your piece can reach it (movement and attack happen in the same turn for all pieces).
3. Check for victory conditions.

Actions

Movement and Attack

All pieces move orthogonally (horizontally/vertically) by default. Some pieces also move diagonally. Every piece can move and attack in the same turn.

Piece Types

Piece	Movement	Special Rules
Commander	Moves 1 step orthogonally	Must stay within the palace (central zone). Capture ends the game.
Infantry	Moves 1 step orthogonally (forward only before crossing river; any orthogonal direction after)	Standard ground unit.
Tank	Moves orthogonally, multiple steps	Powerful ground attacker.
Artillery	Attacks at range, may need to skip over a piece to fire	Indirect fire capability.
Anti-Aircraft	Moves orthogonally	Automatically shoots down enemy aircraft that enter or pass through adjacent positions.
Navy	Moves along river and sea zones	Can transport other units across water.
Air Force	Moves freely across the board	High mobility; vulnerable to anti-aircraft. Can transport units.

Heroic Status

• Any piece that checks the opponent’s Commander permanently gains heroic status.
• Heroic pieces gain enhanced movement and attack range for the rest of the game.

Transport

• Navy and Air Force pieces can transport other units across the board.
• Transported units are carried to new positions, enabling rapid redeployment.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends immediately when either:

1. Commander captured: A player captures the opponent’s Commander. That player wins.
2. Division eliminated: A player eliminates all units of a single division (unit type) of the opponent’s army. That player wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Anti-aircraft defense: Anti-aircraft guns automatically defend against enemy aircraft — they shoot down aircraft that attempt to move into or through adjacent spaces.
• Sea zone: Only navy pieces can naturally operate in the sea zone. Other units need naval transport to cross it.
• River crossing: The river divides the board; some pieces have restricted movement until they cross it.
• Combined arms: Effective play requires coordinating different unit types — tanks for ground assault, air force for rapid strikes, artillery for ranged support, and anti-aircraft for defense against air attacks.
• No draws by design: The game’s dual victory conditions (Commander capture or division elimination) reduce the likelihood of drawn games.
• The game can be played on Board Game Arena online.

Player Reference

Victory	Capture Commander OR eliminate all units of one enemy division
Heroic Status	Any piece that checks the Commander gains permanent enhanced abilities
Transport	Navy and Air Force can carry other units
Anti-Aircraft	Automatically intercepts enemy aircraft