Goal: win by moving any piece into the opponent’s den, or by capturing every enemy animal.

Moving: Gold sits south. Click one of your pieces, then a highlighted square — jade dot = move, cinnabar ring = capture. Pieces step one square orthogonally (never diagonally).

Ranks (strong → weak): Elephant 8, Lion 7, Tiger 6, Leopard 5, Wolf 4, Dog 3, Cat 2, Rat 1. You may capture equal or lower rank — except the Rat may capture the Elephant from land, and the Elephant can never take a Rat unless that Rat sits on the Elephant’s own trap (rank 0).

• Rivers: only the Rat swims. A Rat in water can be taken only by another Rat in water. A swimming Rat cannot capture any piece on land (including a land Rat or the Elephant).
• River jumps: the Lion leaps two blocks horizontally (a↔d, d↔g) and three blocks vertically (rank 3↔7). The Tiger leaps two blocks only. A Rat on any water square in the path blocks the leap. The landing square may be a capture.
• Traps: an enemy piece on one of your traps has rank 0. Your own traps never harm you.
• Dens: you can never enter your own den.

Also: a side with no legal move loses. Threefold repetition, or 100 half-moves without a capture, is a draw.

Controls: Undo (or Ctrl+Z) takes back your turn and the AI reply. Flip (or F) turns the view only — state and turn stay put. Resign, Mute, Menu. You always play Gold.