Rules & strategy
Rules, setup, openings, deduction and endgame strategy, plus Junqi history and a glossary.
Learn to playThe complete rules of Junqi
Every rule Hidden Front plays by, from setup and movement to combat, winning, draws and the online clock.
Reading the board
How roads, railways, the front line, camps and headquarters work, and how the terrain shapes every game of Junqi.
The twelve pieces and what each one is for
A guide to every Junqi piece, from Field Marshal to Flag, with its count, strengths, weaknesses and the job it does best.
Setup strategy
Where to put your flag, landmines, bombs, Field Marshal and Engineers, and the layouts that beginners should avoid.
Opening principles
What to do in the first ten moves of a Junqi game: probe cheaply, take the railways, protect your big pieces and read the first exchanges.
Working out hidden ranks
Use moves and combat results to narrow down enemy ranks, and keep observations separate from guesses.
The endgame
Finding the flag, clearing the mines, spending bombs wisely and avoiding the immobilisation loss in the final phase of a Junqi game.
A short history of Junqi
Where army chess came from, how it relates to L'Attaque and Stratego, the flip and dark variants, four-player Junqi, and how Hidden Front's rules fit in.
Frequently asked questions
Answers about playing Hidden Front: cost, accounts, inviting friends, phones, languages, disconnections, ranking seasons, fairness, safety and the project itself.
Glossary of Junqi terms
The vocabulary of Junqi and Hidden Front, from bomb and camp to station, trade and zugzwang, with the Chinese names for the pieces and terrain.