Learn Gungi
Master the strategy game from Hunter x Hunter
Overview
Gungi is a two-player strategy board game from the manga series Hunter x Hunter. It's played on a 9x9 board divided into three zones: your territory (3 rows), the neutral zone (3 rows), and your opponent's territory (3 rows).
What makes Gungi unique is its stacking mechanic. Pieces can be stacked up to 3 high, forming towers. Only the top piece can move, but being higher gives it enhanced movement abilities.
The goal is to capture your opponent's Marshal (帥/Sui) - similar to capturing the King in Chess.
Pieces
Each player has 25 pieces of 14 different types. Click a piece to see its movement pattern.
帥 (Sui) - 1 per player
The most important piece. Capture your opponent's Marshal to win.
Movement Pattern
Special Rule
Must always be on top of a tower. Cannot be stacked on.
Game Preparation
Choosing Colors
Players decide who plays White and who plays Black. A traditional method: one player takes a white and black piece, releases them over the board, and whichever color lands closest to the center goes first.
Draft Phase (Intermediate/Advanced)
In Intermediate and Advanced modes, players take turns placing pieces one at a time in their home zone (3 rows closest to them).
- The Marshal must be placed first
- Pieces can be stacked during setup, but the Marshal cannot be stacked on
- After placing a piece, a player can declare "done" (終) to finish their setup
- The game begins once both players have finished drafting
- Unplaced pieces remain in your hand for later use
Fixed Setup (Intro/Beginner)
In Intro and Beginner modes, pieces start in a predetermined arrangement. This lets new players jump straight into learning movement and strategy.
Core Mechanics
On your turn, you can move one of your pieces according to its movement pattern. Only the top piece of a tower can move. Moving onto an enemy piece captures it.
Instead of moving to an empty square, you can move onto a piece to form a tower (up to 3 pieces high). You can stack on your own pieces or your opponent's pieces. Being higher extends your movement range.
Place a piece from your hand onto the board. You can place on an empty square or stack on your own piece (not opponent's). You cannot drop beyond your frontmost piece (no paradropping behind enemy lines).
Move onto an enemy piece to capture it. When capturing a tower, all enemy pieces in it are removed from the game. Your pieces in the tower remain, with the capturing piece on top.
A piece needs equal or greater height to capture or stack on another piece. A single piece cannot capture or stack on a 2 or 3 piece tower. Taller enemy towers block movement and jumping.
Special Rules
- Must always be on top of any tower it's part of
- Cannot be stacked on via Arata (drop)
- Capturing the Marshal ends the game immediately
These ranged pieces can jump over other pieces to reach distant squares. However, they are blocked by any tower (yours or your opponent's) that is taller than them.
When the Tactician stacks on an enemy piece, it can perform a "Betrayal". If you have the same piece type in your hand, you can replace the enemy piece with yours. The enemy piece is removed from the game.
Example: Your Tactician stacks on an enemy Warrior. If you have a Warrior in your hand, you can replace their Warrior with yours — converting it to your side.
Game Modes
| Mode | Max Stack | Setup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro | 2 tiers | Fixed position | No Cannon, Musketeer, Archer, Tactician. Marshal cannot stack. |
| Beginner | 2 tiers | Fixed position | No Cannon, Musketeer, Tactician. Marshal cannot stack. |
| Intermediate | 2 tiers | Draft phase | All pieces. Marshal can stack. |
| Advanced | 3 tiers | Draft phase | All pieces. Marshal can stack. |
Winning the Game
Victory Condition
- Capture the Marshal — Take your opponent's Marshal to win immediately
Draw Condition
- Fourfold Repetition — The same board position occurs 4 times
"Are you ready to dethrone the King?"
— A challenge from Komugi to Meruem