Play Aeroplane Chess Online
Start an AI Game Anytime
Play Aeroplane Chess against AI at multiple difficulty levels, share the board with someone beside you, or open an online room for a friend. Play first as Red or second as Yellow, then use hints, undo, and replay to review your launches, captures, and moves toward home.
The Game and Its Basic Rules
Aeroplane Chess is a roll-and-move race related to Ludo. You guide four planes out of a corner base, around the shared track, and into your color's home stretch. This board uses common Chinese rules. When one roll can move several planes, you must choose whether to launch, chase a capture, or bring a leading plane closer to home.
This is a two-player game with four Red planes and four Yellow planes. Red moves first, and a 6 is required to leave base. Landing on an opponent outside a safe square captures that plane and sends it back to base. A 6, a capture, or bringing a plane home earns another roll. If you roll three 6s in a row, the third roll is void, the first two moves stand, and the turn ends. In online games, the room generates each die roll so both players see the same result.
Get a Second Plane Moving
With only one plane on the track, many rolls leave you with one obvious move. Launch a second and the same number may offer a capture, a safe square, or progress toward home. Unless your leading plane can capture or finish right away, an early launch usually gives you better options on later turns.
Count Their Next Roll Too
Before stopping outside a safe square, look one to six spaces behind that spot along your opponent's route. If one of their planes is there, the next roll could send you back to base. A capture earns another roll, but it may still be a bad trade if another plane could enter the home stretch or finish instead.
How Each AI Level Plays
Beginner Opponent: Picks randomly from the legal moves, making it a simple way to learn launches, captures, and the home stretch.
Gentle Practice: Starts comparing landing spots but still overlooks a stronger move now and then.
Advanced Practice: Weighs capture value, capture risk, active planes, and progress toward home while accounting for possible future rolls.
Strong AI: Looks farther ahead and compares more positions, making it a tougher test of how well you coordinate all four planes.
Play as Red or Yellow. Hints follow the selected strength; undo and replay let you revisit capture risks and choices near home. AI games and move records stay in this browser and are not uploaded.
15×15cross board
4planes per side
6to leave base
Homeall four must finish
Common questions
How many players is this? Is it the same as the four-player game?
It's a two-player game: Red and Yellow, four planes each, and Red rolls first. Launching, capturing and the home run follow the usual Chinese rules. With two seats empty you spend less time waiting, and every roll matters to you.
Do I really need a 6 to take off?
Yes. A plane in base only leaves on a 6. Going several turns without one is normal, and your opponent is usually stuck too. Once a 6 lands, you face the game's first real choice: launch a new plane or push the one already out.
When do I get to roll again?
You roll again after a 6, after capturing a plane, or after bringing one home. A third 6 in a row is void, though: the first two moves stand and the turn passes. Even on a hot streak, don't stake all three moves on the same plane.
What happens when a plane is captured, and where is it safe?
If an enemy plane lands on your square, yours goes back to base and needs another 6 to come out. Nobody can capture on a safe square, and once you're in your own home lane you're out of reach. Before stopping on an open square, count one to six spaces back and check who is behind you.
What if my roll is too big near the finish?
In the home lane you need the exact number to reach the last square. If the roll overshoots, that plane can't move, so you move another one. If nothing else can move, the roll is lost. Keeping a second plane in play for the endgame saves a lot of wasted turns.
Does the AI peek at the dice or rig its own rolls?
No. Rolls are random, and the AI has no idea what comes next any more than you do. Its strength is in using the number it gets: which plane to launch, which square invites a capture, when to rush home. Higher levels simply weigh these things more carefully.
Which AI level should I start with?
Start with Beginner. It moves almost at random, which is perfect for learning launches, captures and the home run. Once you win steadily, try the next level up. If the game starts to feel like pure luck, play a stronger level and you'll see how much the choice of plane changes the result.
Is the hint always the best move?
Not necessarily. The hint thinks at the same level as the AI you picked, so a Beginner hint plays like a beginner. For a sharper suggestion, raise the difficulty first. Treat it as a second opinion to check your own idea, not a script to follow.
Can I undo a move? Does the die get rerolled?
Against the AI you can undo, which takes the board back to before your last move so you can try a different plane. The next roll is a fresh one and may come up differently. After the game you can replay it move by move to find the turn that sent a plane back to base.
Do I need an account or an app? Where is my game saved?
Neither. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Your current game and settings stay in that browser and are never uploaded, so switching devices or clearing browser data wipes them.
