GUNGI

Gungi is a two player strategy board game played on a gungi board, a gameboard with
81 squares arranged in an 9x9 grid.
The horizontal rows are referred to as either ranks or rows and the vertical as either files
or columns
The game also includes a stacking element allowing pieces to be arranged on top of
one another up to 3 high. Because of this, the board should be thought of as also
having 3 layers of height to form an overall 9x9x3 cuboid
Each player begins with 38 pieces “in hand”: one marshal, two lieutenant generals, four
major generals, 6 generals, two counsels, two spys, two knights, two samurai, two
cannons, two archers, two fortresses, 2 musketeers, and nine pawns.
Each of the 13 types of pieces move differently, and many also effect the moves of the
pieces around them
The objective of gungi is to checkmate the opponent's king by placing it under an
inescapable threat of capture. It follows the same rules for check and checkmate found
in western chess. To this end, a player's pieces are used to attack and capture the
opponent's pieces, while supporting each other. During the game, play typically involves
making exchanges of one of your pieces for an opponent's similar piece, but also finding
and engineering opportunities to trade one piece for two, or to get a better position.

The Rules of Play

The game differs from most other chess variants in a few ways.

Initial Placement: This could be considered a game in its own right and is perhaps the most
important strategic period of the game

• Players begin with 38 pieces “in hand”

• Instead of each piece starting the game on a predetermined square, players take 26
turns freely placing one piece at a time anywhere within their starting area: the first 3
rows beginning at their side of the board
• After players have taken turns placing their first 18 pieces, they gain the ability to “pass”
instead of placing a new piece on the 8 subsequent rounds
• A player may pass multiple times in a row until either both players agree to pass, or 26
total placement rounds have been played
• A player may not pass if their marshal, equivalent to the king in chess, has not yet been
placed
• In this way players must place a minimum of 18 and may place a maximum of 26 of their
pieces onto the board during the 26 round initial set up
• Players may declare that they are finished placing any time after they have placed at
least 18 of their pieces including their marshal
• Once a player declares that they’re finished their opponent may continue to place pieces
freely, up to their 26-piece/placement round maximum
• Players do not need to place the same number or type of pieces as their opponent
• Pieces may be stacked up to 3 high and a stack is usually referred to as a tower
• Players may place multiple pieces of the same type in the same column, row, or tower
• Not all rows, columns, and spaces need to be filled and any number may be left empty
of pieces
• Pieces may never be stacked on marshals

Game Begins:
Players should now have 18-26 pieces, including their marshal arranged within their starting
area and 12-20 pieces remaining “in hand.” Players will now take turns until one of them
manages to checkmate the other or until one side concedes defeat. The game is considered a
draw if the same moves are perfectly repeated 3 times in a row
Turns

• A turn can consist of one of 3 things

1. A piece “in hand” can be “dropped” onto any valid space on the board
2. A piece may move from one space to another
3. Capture. A piece may move onto a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, remove
that piece from the board, and occupy that space in its place
Drops

• Pieces may be placed onto any area of the board during a drop move, including the
opponents starting area
• Drops may only be made onto empty spaces
• Remember that the board has 3 levels of height. Spaces on top of other pieces, including
opponent’s pieces, may be considered empty and be dropped on forming towers.
Remember towers can only be up to 3 pieces high
• Drop moves can never be used to capture an opponent’s piece
• Marshals(kings) may never be stacked upon either by drops or normal movement
• A drop can be used to place an opponent in check or even checkmate
• A pawn can never be dropped in a way that would place an opponent in check or
checkmate
Towers

• Only the top piece in a tower may move or be captured by an opponent’s piece. The
lower pieces of a tower are immobile and essentially become part of the 3-dimensional
landscape of the board until the top piece is moved
• Only the top space of a tower may be moved to. You may not move to occupy a lower
space under another piece
Movement

• Each type of piece has its own movement pattern

• Most pieces have different movement patterns depending on which of the 3 height
levels they are at when the turn begins
• Unless otherwise stated in their individual movement description, pieces cannot
move or attack through interposing pieces

Interposing pieces are any pieces occupying a space at any height on the board in an
orthogonal or diagonal line directly between your piece and its intended destination. A piece
occupying any height is considered interposing to pieces at any and every other height.

A topmost piece at any height, moves to or attacks only another topmost space or piece,
regardless of and despite of their comparative heights.
 Able to move to this space

Starting position

Can move any number of spaces in this direction

Lieutenant General x2 1

The Lt. General also has the special rule:

All of your pieces able to draw an
unobstructed straight, orthogonal, or diagonal
line to the Lt General may move and attack in
any of their designated movement patterns no
matter their height.

3
2
Major General x4
1

2 3
General x6
1

2 3
Fortress x2
Fortresses elevate the movement patterns of all
friendly pieces within the fortresses movement
range as if they were stacked directly on the
fortress. If a piece’s placement within its own
tower already positions it in the 2nd or 3rd tier, it
uses the highest of the two

For example, if the Fortress is at height level 1

(nothing underneath it), then friendly height
level 1 pieces surrounding the fortress will now
have a height of 2 for movement purposes.
Pieces already on level 2 or 3 will not have their
height changed and a fortress at height 2 or 3
provides the same movement benefits.

Placing a piece on top of the fortress, as with all

other pieces, will make it inactive.

Counsel x2
The counsel keeps the same movement pattern
throughout all 3 tiers
Cannon x2
1
A cannon’s movement and attack/capture
patterns are slightly different from each other.
These are its movement patterns at each of the
three height tiers.
It attacks/captures at any arbitrary distance along
a straight orthogonal line. It cannot capture a
piece unless it has first jumped over at least one
interposing piece. This interposing piece/pieces
can be yours or your opponent’s. In this way it is
very similar to its Chinese and Korean chess
counterparts

When moving without attacking, there can be no

interposing piece between the cannon and the
intended destination square.

Its capture pattern means it becomes less of a threat as the game progresses and less pieces
remain on the board to jump over

2 3
Musketeer x2
1

2 3
Samurai x2
1

2 3
Knight x2
1
The knight’s movement patterns allow it to jump
over interspersed spaces. You may ignore all
interspersing pieces occupying these spaces while
moving a knight, yours and your opponents’
pieces cannot block its movement

2 3
Spy x2
1
The 3rd tier spy is gungi’s closest equivalent to a
western queen

2 3
Archer x2
1
Much like the knight, the archer moves and
captures ignoring all interposing spaces whether
empty or occupied by your own or your
opponent’s pieces

2 3
Pawn x9
1
If your pawn occupies the 1st tier of your 3rd
starting row (7th row if black), it may move
forward 2 spaces instead of 1. This is similar to
the rules for pawns found in many other chess
variants.
There is no en-passant equivalent in gungi
Pawns capture the same as they move in gungi.
So, the 1st tier pawn can only capture directly
ahead much like its shogi counterpart

2 3
Marshal
The marshal may not be used to check the
opponents marshal. It may stack on opponents’
pieces as well as your own, but it may never be
stacked upon. A marshal may not make a move
which places it in check or checkmate

Game notation

• The ranks and files are numbered in order 1-9 starting in the lower left-hand corner of
white’s side of the board. Height is numbered 1-3 with 1 being the lowest level and 3
being the highest
• Each space is notated with its (y-x-z) coordinates

• This piece would be in the space 3-4-1

9
showing that it is in the 3rd rank, 4th file,
and is resting directly on the board 8
without any pieces below it
7
• When a piece is dropped onto the board
from hand it is noted as being “new.” So, 6
if this were a knight that was just dropped
it would be noted as 3-4-1 new knight 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9