A turn has two steps: roll, then tap one of your planes. A plane in base needs a 6 to take off, and all four planes must reach home to win. These are the common Chinese two-player rules used here: Red versus Yellow, one square per pip, with no jump to the next same-color space and no flight across the board. Captures, stars, extra rolls, and three sixes in one turn are covered below.
Board and Track
This site uses a 15×15 cross-shaped board. The four corners are yards, the middle is a shared ring, and four colored home stretches meet at the center. Games are Red versus Yellow, four planes each. The green and blue yards are not used.
Planes travel clockwise. After leaving base they land on their color’s takeoff square, complete the ring, then turn onto their own home stretch. The last step onto home must match the remaining squares exactly; you cannot overshoot.
Leaving Base
Every plane starts in its own yard. Only a 6 can move a plane from base onto the takeoff square. If several planes remain in base, you choose which one leaves. If another plane is already on the track, you may spend that 6 on the plane already moving.
Moving, Home Stretch, and Finishing
After the roll, move one plane that can legally use that number. The whole count is spent on that plane. On the home stretch it may only advance on its own colored squares. If the roll is larger than the remaining squares, that plane cannot move. There are no captures on the home stretch.
A plane that lands on home is finished and does not move again. When all four of a player’s planes are home, that player wins immediately. Your own planes may share a square; they do not capture each other.
Captures and Safe Squares
On the shared ring, landing on an opponent who is not on a safe square sends that plane back to base. It needs another 6 to leave. If more than one opposing plane sits on that square, all of them go back.
Safe squares are the four takeoff squares and the four stars on the ring. A plane parked on a safe square cannot be sent home, even if an opponent’s roll would land on the same space.
Extra Rolls and Three Sixes
Rolling a 6, capturing an opponent, or finishing a plane grants another roll. If a roll has no legal move, the turn passes at once.
A third 6 in the same turn is void: it is not played, and the turn passes. Planes already moved with the first two sixes stay where they are.
Winning and Draws
The first player to get all four planes home wins. There is no piece-counting score. In an online room, either player may resign or offer a draw. Against AI or on one device, you can resign or start over. If both players agree to a draw, the site records it as a draw.
Complete a Turn
Check whether Red or Yellow is shown in the turn marker, then tap Roll. The board highlights every plane that can use that number. Tapping one highlighted plane finishes the move; there is no extra confirm step. If none is highlighted, the roll has no legal play and the turn passes.
Illegal Plays
You cannot move before rolling, leave base on any number except 6, overshoot home, move an opponent’s plane, roll again while a number is waiting to be used, invent a die result in an online room, or apply jump-and-fly shortcuts from another physical set.
How the Modes Differ
The rules do not change between modes. The home-page AI game includes hints, undo, and move-by-move replay; hints search at the strength you already selected. Same-device games include undo and replay without move suggestions. Online rooms keep both boards in sync, let the room roll the die, and support resignations and draw offers, but one player cannot undo a move alone.
Only the opponent and available tools change. The legal plays stay the same. For help choosing which plane to send out, when to capture, and how to time the home stretch, read the Aeroplane Chess strategy guide.
FAQ
Why can’t I leave base until I roll a 6?
A plane in base may enter the track only on a 6. Until then, if another plane is already on the track, you can spend a 6 on that plane; otherwise you wait for the next roll.
Can a plane on a safe square be captured?
It cannot be sent back to base. Takeoff squares and the four stars are safe. An opponent who would land on the same square cannot send you home.
Why do I roll again after finishing a plane?
This site grants another roll after a finish, a capture, or a 6. The extra roll still needs a legal move; if none exists, the turn ends.
What happens if I roll three sixes in a row?
The third 6 in the same turn is cancelled and is not played. The turn passes. Planes already moved with the first two sixes stay on the board.
Why can’t I jump or fly across the board?
Some physical Aeroplane Chess sets let a plane jump to the next same-color space or fly to the opposite takeoff. This site does not use those shortcuts; each roll moves one plane that many squares.
Does Red always start?
Every mode begins with Red rolling first. Against AI you may choose Red or Yellow; if you choose Yellow, the AI rolls first.
Who rolls the die in an online room?
The room rolls it, so both players see the same face. The browser cannot pick the number or change a roll on its own.
