A QUICK LESSON ON XIANG QI

SOLDIERS (PAWNS) are the first five pieces on the front row. They can only go forward one space at a time, until they cross the river, in which case, they can move and kill left, right and forward.
CANNONS are the two pieces right behind pawns, and they can move to wherever they want on a straight line. They kill by jumping over one piece.
TANKS (CASTLES) are the two pieces on the corners of the board. They can move to wherever they want on a straight line and they kill directly.
HORSES (KNIGHTS) are the two pieces right next to castles. They jump just like knights in regular chess.
BISHOPS1 (xiang) are the two pieces next to the horses. They jump diagonally but only two spaces at a time. For example, they can jump to two spaces directly above the general, which is in the middle of the back row. They mainly protect, but sometimes they can kill too.
BISHOPS2 (shi) are the two pieces right beside the general. They move diagonally but only one space at a time, and they can only move inside the two-by-two box around the general. They mostly protect the general, but they can kill too.
GENERAL (KING) is the one piece in the middle of the back row. It only moves one space at a time, and only on a straight line. It also can not move outside of the two-by-two box, unlike regular chess. There is no castling in Chinese chess. If two generals are on the same line with nothing in between, then the one that moves into this position is in checkmate and loses the game.

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