Spark & Anvil Privacy
Friendly cartoon kids playing xiangqi (Chinese chess) at a warm wooden board with pictorial carved pieces in a cozy lantern-lit hall

CannonTales

Every piece in Xiangqi (Chinese chess) moves in its own way — and each one is a character. Learn why the cannon needs a screen, how the horse gets hobbled, and why the elephant can never cross the river.

Play a friend Learn to play
Level 1

Start here

Play a Friend Pass-and-play xiangqi on one device — the real board, the river, and the palace, face to face. Learn to Play How each piece moves — why the cannon needs a screen, the horse gets hobbled, and the elephant cannot cross the river. Board Vision Train your eye for the board — what each piece attacks, and where the general is in danger. Endgame Trainer The few-piece finishes where one right move wins — checkmate the general with what you have left.
Brain Break Take a quiet moment between games — a fun riddle or a short breather. Brain breaks help you remember what you learn.

All activities

Play & learn

Play a Friend (pass-and-play) Two players share one device and take turns at the board — the real xiangqi, the river, and the palace, face to face. Play a Friend (room code) Share a room code and play a friend on the same board — a quick networked match. Learn to Play How each piece moves — why the cannon needs a screen, the horse gets hobbled, and the elephant cannot cross the river. Board Studio A free board to set up a position and try ideas — no clock, no score, just the pieces. Mini-Xiangqi (7×7) Chinese chess on a small 7×7 board — no river, advisors or elephants. The quickest way to learn the cannon’s screen-capture and the horse’s hobble. Soldiers step sideways from the start. Cờ người: the people’s board Print a floor-sized board and 32 name cards, and play the Tết way: with people as the pieces. Screen off.

Sharpen your play

Piece Drills Short drills on each piece — move the cannon over a screen, hobble the horse, keep the general home. Board Vision Train your eye for the board — what each piece attacks, and where the general is in danger. Pattern Trainer Learn the recurring shapes — the mating nets and traps that come up again and again. Endgame Trainer The few-piece finishes where one right move wins — checkmate the general with what you have left. The Street Table A grandmother at a park table sets one real position a week: Red to move, win it if you can. The loud move only looks like the win. Predict the Move Call the best move — or the winning threat — BEFORE the reveal, then find out why. A guess is the point.

Practice & together

My Games Every game you play against the computer is saved on this device — replay it move by move and get a kind, move-by-move review. Nothing that names you leaves the device. Mixed Practice A short round across the kits you have played — brought back to make it stick. Tactics Rush A calm minute on tactics you already know — the clock counts up, stop whenever you like, no penalty for a miss. Quick round — a calm sprint Quick recall of kits you have mastered. Self-paced; turn on a timer only if you want one. Trick Questions Brain-teasers with a twist — spot why the obvious move is a trap. Teach the Cast Teach a xiangqi idea to a cast member still learning it — teaching makes it stick. General Duel (hotseat) 2–4 players take turns on one device — same questions for everyone, highest first-try score wins. General Quest — the map A progression trail through every kit. Clear each stop of real practice, then move on. Progress Your levels, days active, and how each skill area is coming along — saved on this device.
Concept Kits — 16 kits of xiangqi strategy

A short round of questions with a hint whenever you get stuck. Progress stays on this device.

Kit 1: The Board & the River The Board & the River · grades gr4-5 · 25 questions Kit 2: The General & Advisors The General & Advisors · grades gr4-5 · 25 questions Kit 3: The Elephant (Minister) The Elephant (Minister) · grades gr4-5 · 25 questions Kit 4: The Horse The Horse · grades gr4-5 · 25 questions Kit 5: The Chariot The Chariot · grades gr5-6 · 25 questions Kit 6: The Cannon The Cannon · grades gr5-6 · 25 questions Kit 7: The Soldier The Soldier · grades gr5-6 · 25 questions Kit 8: Check, Checkmate & Stalemate Check, Checkmate & Stalemate · grades gr6-7 · 25 questions Kit 9: Piece Values & Strength Piece Values & Strength · grades gr6-7 · 25 questions Kit 10: Opening Principles Opening Principles · grades gr6-7 · 25 questions Kit 11: Cannon Tactics Cannon Tactics · grades gr7-8 · 25 questions Kit 12: Horse & Chariot Tactics Horse & Chariot Tactics · grades gr7-8 · 25 questions Kit 13: The Endgame The Endgame · grades gr7-8 · 25 questions Kit 14: Common Checkmate Patterns Common Checkmate Patterns · grades gr7-8 · 25 questions Kit 15: Repetition Rules & Etiquette Repetition Rules & Etiquette · grades gr7-8 · 25 questions Kit 16: Putting It Together Putting It Together · grades gr7-8 · 25 questions

More ways to play

Quiz Arena Cannon Run Janggi (Korean chess) Best Moves Skills Daily Puzzle

Built from these ludemes

A ludeme is a building block of a game's rules. This one combines:

Capture
Where this game comes from

Xiangqi (Chinese chess)

Xiangqi with the pieces you play today, including the cannon, was settled in China by the time of the Song dynasty (960–1279). Games called xiangqi are mentioned in older writings, but nobody is sure they were the same game.

One thing to hold: A traditional set is 32 flat wooden discs, each with its name carved in and painted red or black.

Why it matters: The river across the middle is labelled 楚河 漢界, “the Chu river, the Han border”: the line between two kingdoms that fought for China after 206 BCE. The cannon is written two ways, 砲 with the sign for stone (a catapult) and 炮 with the sign for fire; sets often use one for each side.

What we don’t know: Whether xiangqi grew from the same Indian game as chess, or started on its own in China, is still argued about.

Sources: H. J. R. Murray, A History of Chess (1913) · R. C. Bell, Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations (1960; rev. 1979)

CannonTales mascot

Meet the cast — the characters who teach this

Each one stands for an idea you’ll practice. Tap a character to read their illustrated story and hear their audio drama.

Ensemble stories — the cast together

Explore all the stories →

What next? Pick a door

Chosen from what this app is about. What you open is remembered on this device only.

📚 Books for CannonTales

Read the story, print a workbook, or color the cast — free PDFs to read offline or print at home.

Browse all books →

Kids also liked

Play GambitTales Play StoneSong Play StrategyForge Play AtlasTales Play CuriosityQuest Play SpectrumCanvas

Privacy & how it works