How do you checkmate in janggi?

Give a check that the general cannot escape, that cannot be captured and that cannot be blocked. The basic idea is to seal palace lines with chariots, cover escape squares with a horse, and deliver the final check with a chariot or cannon.

How do you block a cannon check in janggi?

Move the screen piece away, or add a second piece between the cannon and the general so it would have to jump two. Since a cannon cannot jump a cannon, placing your own cannon in between also works. You can also capture the cannon or move the general.

What is a double check in janggi?

It is a position where two pieces give check at once. Blocking both in one move is almost never possible, so the general must move, and if it has no escape square it is mate. It often comes from moving a piece off a chariot's line while that piece also gives check.

What happens after bikjang on Playfulo?

Bikjang happens when the two generals face each other on the same file with no pieces between them. On Playfulo, if it is not resolved, the game is a draw, so the winning side should avoid moving the last piece standing between the generals.

Janggi Checkmate Patterns and Korean Chess Attack Tactics

What checkmate requires: removing every defense

A general in check has three basic ways out: step to a safe point, capture the checking piece, or block the line. Checkmate means all three are impossible, so an attacker should strike each one off the list before giving the final check.

In janggi the ways to block depend on the checking piece. A chariot's check is blocked by putting a piece in between. A cannon's check can also be stopped by moving the screen away, or by adding a second piece between the cannon and the general, since the cannon must jump exactly one. A horse's check is stopped by occupying the first orthogonal point of its path, and an elephant's check by occupying either of the two points it passes through. Forget one of these and a check you thought was mate gets parried in one move.

The general's escape squares also depend on where it stands. On the center point of the palace it can reach up to eight points along the lines and diagonals. On a corner it has just three: two along the lines and one diagonal to the center. On the middle of a palace edge it also has three, because those points are not on a diagonal. That is why pushing the general out of the center makes mating much easier.

Chariots on open files and ranks

A chariot controls a whole line until something blocks it, so a single chariot on an open line can seal off an entire row of the palace. The palace has three ranks. If one chariot occupies one palace rank and the other gives check along the rank where the general stands, the general cannot step onto the controlled rank. Check whether the general sits on a diagonal point with extra escapes, but the two-chariot ladder is one of the strongest mating patterns in the game.

When a chariot checks from right next to the general, make sure that point is protected. An unprotected chariot simply gets captured by the general. If a horse covers that point, or another chariot backs it up along the same line, the general cannot take it, and if the escape squares are also covered, it is mate.

The palace diagonals are chariot paths too. A chariot on a palace corner can slide through an empty center point all the way to the opposite corner. When the enemy guards drift to one side and leave the center or a corner empty, a chariot entering on the diagonal can take away several escape squares at once.

Cannon screens and palace diagonals

A cannon must jump exactly one non-cannon piece to move or capture, so cannon attacks are really about building a reliable screen. Put a cannon on the central file with one of your own sturdy pieces in front as a screen, and you keep permanent pressure on the middle of the enemy palace. An enemy piece can serve as the screen too, but if your opponent moves it aside, the check disappears.

One tactic unique to janggi is checking by adding a screen. When nothing stands between your cannon and the enemy general, moving one of your pieces onto that line turns it into a screen and gives check. If the piece you moved also attacks something, your opponent has to deal with the check first and cannot save the other target. The reverse also holds: when two pieces sit between a cannon and a general, whichever moves first creates a check, so both are effectively pinned.

Inside the palace, cannons can use the diagonals. A cannon on a palace corner can jump a non-cannon piece on the center point to reach the opposite corner. If the enemy general is on a corner and a guard or soldier stands in the center, a diagonal cannon check may be available. Remember that a cannon can neither jump nor capture another cannon, so a defending cannon placed in between blocks that line completely. Always check where the enemy cannons are before you commit.

Horse and elephant teamwork, and double check

Chariots and cannons control lines; horses and elephants cover the points lines cannot reach. A horse posted near the palace can guard the general's escape square or the point where a chariot delivers check, turning an ordinary check into mate. An elephant can hit a palace corner from far away, but both points on its path must be empty, so first ask whether your opponent can easily drop a piece in the way. Horses and elephants do not use the palace diagonals; they move only in their normal patterns.

Because horse and elephant checks can only be blocked in specific ways, they are both a weakness and an opportunity. If the blocking point is already occupied by the attacker's side, or the defender has no piece that can reach it, a horse check becomes impossible to block. Asking whether the defender can cover the blocking point makes your mating calculations far more accurate.

Double check means two pieces giving check at the same time. Blocking two lines in one move is almost never possible, so the general has to move, and if its escape squares are covered, it is mate. The classic method is to move a piece that was blocking your chariot's line while that piece gives check itself. Even without a double check, a move that gives check while also attacking a chariot or cannon is a powerful fork: while your opponent answers the check, you collect the piece.

Defending with guards, and watching for bikjang

Good attackers understand defense. Guards cover the general's escape squares and stop chariot raids, so when both guards drift to one side or get pulled out of position, the other side of the palace is left bare. As a defender, keep at least one guard close to the general, and keep the central file safe from enemy cannons by having two or more pieces between them or by using your own cannon as a shield. If only one of your pieces stands on an enemy cannon's line, it is serving as their screen.

Blocking a check while giving a check back is a well-known counter-punch in janggi. If your own palace is loose, one such reply in the middle of your attack can swing the game, so check the area around your own general before the decisive blow.

Bikjang deserves attention too. When the two generals face each other on the same file with nothing between them, it is bikjang. Some rule sets settle it by points, but on Playfulo an unresolved bikjang ends the game as a draw. The side that is losing may aim for it deliberately, so when you are winning, check whether a piece still stands between the generals and avoid moving it carelessly.

A step-by-step attacking plan

Checkmate is usually the product of preparation rather than a flash of inspiration. Use these steps as a checklist before launching an attack.

Step 1: Count the general's escape squares: up to eight from the center, three from a corner or edge midpoint.
Step 2: Count the defenders: both guards, nearby horses, elephants and cannons, and any chariot that can return.
Step 3: Bring a chariot to an open file or rank and seize one whole row of the palace.
Step 4: Secure a screen for your cannon. Do not trust a screen that can be captured or moved aside, and look for a defending cannon in the way.
Step 5: Bring a horse near the palace to cover points your chariots and cannons cannot.
Step 6: Remove a key defender, trading or sacrificing to eliminate a guard or to force a screen piece to move.
Step 7: Before the final check, confirm every defense is gone: escaping, capturing, blocking, moving or adding a cannon screen, and blocking a horse.
Step 8: Check your own palace for counter-checks and bikjang, then deliver the blow.

Common attacking mistakes

Attacks rarely fail for lack of ideas. They fail because of move order and missed checks. Avoiding these mistakes will save many won games.

Checking without a plan: the general walks to a safer point and your pieces end up scattered.
Relying on a shaky screen: if the defender captures or moves the screen piece, the cannon check vanishes.
Forgetting the cannon-versus-cannon rule: one defending cannon can be a perfect shield.
Skipping the blocking points: a horse check is stopped at one point, an elephant check at either of two.
Placing an unprotected chariot next to the general: the general simply captures it.
Emptying your own palace: pulling out guards and front pieces invites a counter-check that turns the game around.
Ignoring bikjang: moving the last piece between the generals turns a win into a draw.

Practicing checkmates on Playfulo

Playfulo's janggi follows the Korea Janggi Association movement rules, including the cannon screen rule and palace diagonals, with results decided by checkmate, bikjang, repetition and forced passes. Try deliberately aiming for one pattern at a time against the easy, normal or hard AI, such as a two-chariot ladder or a screen-adding cannon check, and you will quickly feel which preparation was missing when an attack stalls.

To play a friend, create a room and send an invite link; each player picks a horse and elephant setup and presses ready to start. Different setups change where the horses and elephants stand around the palace, so comparing how the attacking route shifts is a useful exercise.