You flip a General. Across the board: a wall of Soldiers. Every move from here has to count — that's the thrill of Dark Chess.
Dark Chess Pro is a Banqi app built for the craft of the game. Five AI levels take you from beginner training to brain-crushing challenges. Post-game review marks your best moves and your mistakes, so you get better every match. No coins, no gambling — just pure gameplay.
—— HOW IT WORKS ——
Dark Chess (Banqi) is a classic Chinese board game on a 4×8 grid:
• 32 pieces start face-down — flip one to reveal it
• Pieces follow a rank hierarchy: General > Advisor > Elephant > Chariot > Horse > Cannon > Soldier
• Higher rank captures lower, but Soldiers can capture the General
• The Cannon jumps over pieces to capture — the wildcard
• Win when your opponent has no pieces or no legal moves
—— NEW TO BANQI? ——
◆ Learn in One Game
• Interactive tutorial — flip, move, capture in 3 minutes
• Apprentice AI plays at your pace
• Post-game review marks your best moves and mistakes
—— EXPERIENCED PLAYER? ——
◆ Five AI Levels That Push You
• Apprentice → Knight → Master → Sage → Grandmaster
• Advanced AI uses deep search and endgame tablebase
• Real-time search stats show engine thinking
• Move-by-move review finds what you missed
◆ Story Mode — The Veiled Path
• From apprentice to grandmaster — a wuxia journey through the art of Dark Chess
• 23 lessons, 13 matches, 3 endings
• Eight unique opponents with visual-novel style dialogue
◆ Six Variant Rules
• Chariot Charge — rook rushes across and captures through
• Diagonal Knight — extra diagonal movement
• Cannon Jump toggle — standard or no-jump mode
• Blind Capture — attack face-down pieces and see what happens
• Chain Capture — keep capturing if your piece can strike again
• Equal Exchange — same-rank pieces destroy each other
• Mix and match for fresh challenges
◆ 52+ Achievements
• Gameplay milestones: first win, win streaks, difficulty breakthroughs
• Story achievements: chapter completions, hidden endings
◆ Polished Experience
• Satisfying flip animations with haptic feedback
• Sound effects and clear status cues
• Full rules including perpetual chase restrictions
• Adaptive phone and tablet layouts
• Offline, no account — just open and play
◆ Free / One-Time Pro Unlock
• Free with ads
• Pro: remove ads, unlock advanced AI, tablebase, undo, review tools
◆ Why Dark Chess Pro?
• Five difficulty levels — a worthy opponent at every skill stage
• Post-game review helps you improve, not just win or lose
• Clean interface focused on the game, no gambling elements
• Full official rules including perpetual chase restrictions
• Regular updates: new AI strategies, variant rules, and analysis tools
Dark Chess is also known as Banqi, Half Chess, or Blind Chess — a beloved Chinese board game where strategy, hidden information, and sharp tactics make every game unique.