Xiangqi (Chinese: 象棋; pinyin: xià ngqí; Wade-Giles: hsiang-ch’i; (Sound listen)), is a two-player Chinese game in a family of strategic board games of which Western chess, Japanese shogi, and the more similar Korean janggi are also members. The character 象 xià ng here has the meaning “image” or “representational”, hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as “representational chess”. The game, however, is commonly called Chinese chess in the West.

The ancestry of xiangqi is disputed with some historians contending that it originated from Liubo and others stating that it is a relative of the 6th century Indian game of chaturanga (see History below). It is one of the most popular board games of the chaturanga family in the world, especially in Asia. Distinctive features of xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao (”cannon”) piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces.