The gap on the right is not a single move
Bie Si Niu is also called 'qu' (district chess). The board has five points: upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right, and center, with seven lines drawn connecting them. The gap between the upper right and lower right is called a 'well.' It looks close, but there are no connecting lines, so you can't move directly from the top to the bottom.
| Location | Adjacent points accessible along the route |
|---|---|
| Top left | Top right, bottom left, center |
| Top right | Top left, center |
| Bottom left | Top left, bottom right, center |
| Bottom right | Bottom left, center |
| Central Area | Four corner dots |
Why is there always only one empty point in a single round?
Two yellow bulls and two black bulls, randomly occupying four points at the start, leaving only one empty point. Each turn, one of your bulls moves along the line to this empty point, and the original position immediately becomes a new empty point; No capture, and no other pieces can be skipped.
Therefore, you don't need to look at multiple destinations at the same time for your next move: first find the empty point, then check which bull you are connected to. To determine your opponent's next move, look at the new empty point left after you removed and whether it connects to any of the opponent's cows.
How to hold back both cows
- Choose a legal move and note the point where your piece leaves; This will become the only empty point.
- Check the positions of the opponent's two bulls: whether any of them are adjacent to the empty point.
- If neither end reaches the new short point, the opponent has no legal move, and you win.
At the start, the side that moves first cannot smother the other in the first move. The game avoids this kind of opening; From subsequent turns onward, the standard road-blocking rules are used.
What happens if you keep walking back?
This site does not automatically tie just because the same position appears repeatedly. If both players keep moving back and forth between the same points, the game will continue until one side's turn has nowhere to go. When playing with the computer, you can take a back move and find a new move that prevents both opponents from approaching the empty point.