Overview
Raichu is a strategy board game played on an 8×8 checkered board. Two players — White and Black — each command an army of three piece types: Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu.
The goal is simple: capture all of your opponent's pieces to win. White always moves first. White pieces move down the board, while Black pieces move up.
Starting Position
Each player starts with 4 Pikachus and 4 Pichus arranged on alternating squares of their first two rows. The four center rows start empty. No Raichus are on the board at the start — they must be earned through promotion.
Starting position — White (top), Black (bottom)
The Pieces
Pichu
The PawnPichu is the basic foot soldier. It moves one square diagonally forward. White Pichus move diagonally down-left or down-right; Black Pichus move diagonally up-left or up-right.
To capture, a Pichu jumps diagonally over an adjacent enemy piece, landing on the empty square beyond it. Pichus can only capture other Pichus.
Movement: one square diagonally forward
Capture: jump over an enemy Pichu
Pikachu
The RookPikachu is a more powerful piece that moves 1 or 2 squares forward, left, or right (orthogonally). It cannot move diagonally or backward.
To capture, a Pikachu jumps over an enemy piece along the forward, left, or right direction. If the enemy is 1 square away, the Pikachu lands 2 squares from its start. If the enemy is 2 squares away, it lands 3 squares away. Pikachus can capture Pichus and other Pikachus, but not Raichus.
Movement: 1-2 squares forward, left, or right
Capture: jump over an adjacent enemy
Raichu
The QueenRaichu is the most powerful piece on the board. It moves any number of squares in any of the 8 directions — forward, backward, left, right, and all four diagonals — similar to a queen in chess.
To capture, a Raichu jumps over an enemy piece along any direction and can land on any empty square beyond the captured piece. Raichus can capture any piece type.
Movement: any direction, any distance
Capture: jump over enemy, land anywhere beyond
Capture Hierarchy
Not every piece can capture every other piece. The capture hierarchy determines which pieces are valid targets:
Promotion
When a Pichu or Pikachu reaches the far edge of the board (the opponent's back row), it is immediately promoted to a Raichu — the most powerful piece on the board.
For White, the promotion row is the bottom edge (row 8). For Black, it's the top edge (row 1). Promotion is automatic and happens at the end of the move.
Pichu about to reach the last row...
...becomes a Raichu!
How to Win
The game ends when one player has no pieces remaining. The player who captures all of their opponent's pieces wins the game. There are no draws — every game ends with a winner.
Key Rules
- 1Captures are not mandatory — you may choose any legal move on your turn.
- 2Only one capture per move — there is no multi-jump or chain capture.
- 3Pieces cannot jump over or move through friendly pieces.
- 4The board does not wrap around — pieces cannot move off one edge and appear on the other.
- 5White always moves first.
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