China · Strategy Game · 2 Players
How to Play Dou Shou Qi (Jungle)
Dou Shou Qi (斗兽棋, "the game of fighting animals") — known in English as Jungle or Animal Chess — is a popular Chinese strategy game played on a 7×9 board split by two rivers. Eight ranked animals, from the Elephant down to the Rat, race to break into the opponent's den. The game's charm is its exceptions: the rat alone can swim and fell the mighty elephant, while the lion and tiger bound clear across the water.
The Board
The board is 7 columns wide and 9 rows tall. At the top and bottom centre sits each player's den (the goal square). Around each den are three traps. In the middle of the board are two rivers — two ponds, each two squares wide and three tall — separated by a single dry column down the centre.
- The den is the square you must reach: stepping into the enemy's den wins the game instantly.
- The three traps surround each den.
- The rivers can only be entered by the Rat, and they shape how every animal moves through the middle of the board.
The Animals & Their Ranks
From strongest to weakest, each side has one of each animal:
- Elephant — 8 (strongest)
- Lion — 7
- Tiger — 6
- Leopard — 5
- Wolf — 4
- Dog — 3
- Cat — 2
- Rat — 1 (weakest — but the most cunning)
How Animals Move
- One square at a time, orthogonally — up, down, left, or right. Never diagonally.
- You may never enter your own den.
- Only the Rat may enter the water. Every other animal must go around the rivers.
Capturing
To capture, move onto an adjacent enemy whose rank is equal to or lower than your own. The captured animal is removed. But there are crucial exceptions:
The exceptions that make the game:
- The Rat captures the Elephant. The Rat (1) may capture the Elephant (8) — the only animal that can — yet the Elephant can never capture the Rat. This is the single most-violated rule, so remember it well.
- Swimming Rats. A Rat in the water cannot capture a land animal, and a land animal cannot capture a Rat in the water — the swimming rat is untouchable from the bank. A Rat also cannot capture on the very move it enters or leaves the water. Two Rats both in the water, however, may fight each other.
- Lion & Tiger river-leap. Both the Lion and the Tiger may jump straight across a river — horizontally or vertically — from one bank to the first land square on the far side, capturing any enemy they land on. But if any rat (yours or your opponent's) sits in the water along that line, the leap is blocked.
- Traps. When an enemy animal stands on one of your three traps, its rank drops to 0 — so any of your animals beside it may capture it, even your Rat taking a trapped Elephant. Your own traps never weaken your own animals, and the rank is restored the moment the animal steps off the trap.
How to Win
- Storm the den. Move any one of your animals into the enemy's den and you win immediately.
- Capture everything. If you capture all of your opponent's animals, you win.
- Trap them. If it is your opponent's turn and they have no legal move, they lose.
Strategy Tips
- Guard your den. A single enemy animal slipping into your den ends the game — keep a defender within reach at all times.
- Use the Rat boldly. The Rat threatens the Elephant and can swim where nothing else can follow, but it dies to almost everything on land — pick its moments.
- Watch for leaps. A Lion or Tiger across the river can strike from surprising distance. Park a Rat in the water to shut a leap down.
- Bait the traps. Lure a strong enemy onto one of your traps, where even a humble animal can take it.
Cultural History
Dou Shou Qi — 斗兽棋, "the game of fighting animals" — is a popular Chinese strategy game, beloved by children across the Far East, where it is commonly known in English as Jungle or Animal Chess. Eight animals, ranked from elephant down to rat, cross a board split by two rivers, racing to break into the opponent's den.
Its enduring appeal lies in its exceptions: the rat alone can swim and topple the mighty elephant — a small-defeats-large motif that resonates across folk tradition — while the lion and tiger leap clear over the water unless a rat lies in wait to block them. Simple enough for a child to learn yet full of asymmetric powers and tactical traps, it remains a staple of family game shelves and schoolyards throughout China and the wider region.
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