Higher rank takes lower, but the rat takes the elephant. Only the rat swims, and lion and tiger leap the lakes.
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About Dou Shou Qi
Free online Dou Shou Qi, the Chinese jungle game. Eight ranked animals a side, two lakes, six traps and two dens. Reach the enemy den or take every animal to win.
Dou Shou Qi, literally the game of fighting animals, is a Chinese board game usually met in the West as Jungle or Animal Chess, and it is one of the best games ever designed for teaching children about ranking, exceptions and traps. The pecking order is dead simple until you meet the two rules that break it. The rat, weakest animal on the board, is the only piece that beats the elephant, so the strongest animal spends the whole game watching a rodent. And the traps around each den strip an animal of rank entirely, meaning a cat can take an elephant that steps one square too far. Add the lions and tigers vaulting the lakes and you have a game a seven-year-old learns in five minutes and an adult keeps losing.
Frequently asked questions
Why can a rat beat an elephant?๏ผ
It is the game's signature rule, usually explained by the rat running into the elephant's ear. The rat is the only animal that can take the elephant, and the elephant can never take the rat back.
Who can go in the water?๏ผ
Only the rat. While it is in the lake it cannot capture anything on land, and no land animal can capture it, so the lakes are a genuine hiding place.
How does jumping the lake work?๏ผ
The lion and the tiger may leap in a straight line across a whole lake and land on the far bank, capturing whatever stands there if they outrank it. The leap fails if any rat, yours or theirs, is sitting in the water in between.
What do the traps do?๏ผ
An enemy animal standing in one of your three traps has no rank at all, so any of your animals can take it, even your cat taking their elephant.
How do I win?๏ผ
Move any of your animals into your opponent's den, or capture all eight of their animals. A player with no legal move also loses.
Is this the same as Jungle or Animal Chess?๏ผ
Yes, they are the same game under different names. Dou Shou Qi is the original Chinese name.
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