Board and setup

The board is seven files wide and nine ranks deep. Your den sits at the center of your back rank, ringed by three trap squares. Two rivers, each a 2×3 block of water, split the middle of the board. Red moves first from the fixed starting position below.

How the animals move

Every animal moves one square up, down, left, or right. Animals never move diagonally. Most animals stay on land, so they cannot enter a river. The rat, lion, and tiger are the three movement exceptions.

One square, four directions.
The river is not a move for a land animal.

Rat

The rat is the only animal that can enter water. A rat in a river can move and capture another rat there, but no piece can capture across the shoreline: a land rat cannot capture into water, and a water rat cannot capture onto land.

The rat can step off the bank into the river.
In the water it is safe: the wolf is not a target, and it cannot reach the rat either.

Lion

The lion can move one land square normally, or leap straight across a river horizontally or vertically. It lands on the first square beyond the water and may capture an animal there if rank allows.

The lion clears either river sideways.
The same jump lengthwise, landing on the wolf and taking it.

Tiger

The tiger can move one land square normally or leap vertically across a river. Unlike the lion, it cannot leap horizontally. A rat of either color on any water square in the path blocks either animal’s jump.

The tiger clears the river the long way.
The tiger on the lion’s square: no sideways jump.
A rat in the river blocks the leap.

Ranks and captures

Each side has the same eight animals. Strongest to weakest: elephant, lion, tiger, leopard, wolf, dog, cat, rat. A piece captures an adjacent enemy of equal or lower rank.

ElephantLionTigerLeopardWolfDogCatRat
Strongest at the left, weakest at the right.

The rank exception connects the ends of the ladder: a rat on land can capture an elephant, while an elephant cannot capture a rat.

On land, the lowest-ranked rat can capture the highest-ranked elephant.
The elephant cannot take the rat back.

Traps

Step a piece onto one of your opponent’s three trap squares and it loses all rank while it stands there, so any defending piece can take it, down to a rat capturing a trapped elephant. Only an enemy’s traps do this: a piece can sit on one of its own traps and keeps its full rank.

On red’s trap the lion is rank 0, so a cat takes it.
Red’s own trap costs red nothing: the cat still cannot touch the elephant.

Winning and draws

You win immediately by moving any piece into the enemy den, capturing every enemy piece, or leaving your opponent with no legal move. You cannot move into your own den.

One step into the den ends the game. Rank does not matter, and neither does the trap square.

Games draw on threefold repetition, or when 100 half-moves (50 by each player) pass with no capture.

A sample game

This engine game shows a lion leap, a rat swim and capture an elephant, and the final entry into Blue’s den.

Play on Mistboard

Jungle Chess is playable on Mistboard. Play against an engine or challenge a friend. No account required.

Play vs computerChallenge a friend