Xiangqi on iPhone Duo: A Board Built for the Fold

Fun Xiangqi on iPhone Duo, from day one

A xiangqi board has a river running straight across the middle. iPhone Duo has a fold running straight across the middle. It felt like the two were meant for each other, so we made sure Fun Xiangqi was ready for iPhone Duo on the day it arrived.

There is no separate app and nothing to switch on. Open Fun Xiangqi on an iPhone Duo, unfold it, and the app lays itself out for the big screen. Fold it again and you are back in the phone layout you already know. Everything else stays the same: the classic engine, puzzles, quests and online play with friends, in English and Tiếng Việt.

This post walks through what changes when you unfold, and there is a 90-second video further down if you would rather just watch.

Unfold for a full-screen board

Start a game and unfold the Duo. The board grows to span both halves of the inner screen, and the river lands right on the fold. Red's half sits on one side of the hinge, Black's half on the other, so the crease never cuts through a point where a piece could stand.

The bigger board matters more than you might think. On a phone screen, xiangqi pieces are small, and a mis-tap on the wrong point is easy, especially around the crowded palace. On the unfolded Duo every piece is larger, the palace diagonals are easy to see, and you can take in the whole position at a glance.

That makes it a nice way to learn, too. If you are still getting to grips with how each piece moves, keep Xiangqi Pieces Explained open and try the moves on a board you can actually see. Moving works the same as on iPhone: tap a piece, then tap the point you want it to go to.

Two panes for Home, Challenges, Quests and New game

The match screen is not the only one that changes. When the Duo is open, the main screens split into two panes, one above the fold and one below, so nothing important sits on the hinge.

• Home: the New game, Online Match, Join a match and "Play a friend here" cards sit alongside your daily quests, with room to breathe instead of stacking in one long scroll.
• Challenges: the five chapters of endgame puzzles sit in one pane. Tap a chapter and its puzzles appear in the other pane, ten at a time, without leaving the screen. You can browse the puzzles this way and jump straight into any you have unlocked.
• Quests: your streak sits in one pane and today's three quests in the other, ready to claim.
• New game: picking your opponent, the classic engine level, your side and the time control fits on one screen with no scrolling.

The Me tab keeps its familiar phone layout. It is mostly settings and account details, and they read best in a single column.

Fold mid-game and keep playing

This is the part we like most. Say you are halfway through a game on the open Duo and your stop comes up. Fold the phone. The match carries on in the regular phone layout, with the same position, the same clock and the same move you were thinking about. Unfold it again later and the full-screen board comes back.

The same goes for screens you have open. A sheet you were halfway through, a challenge you had picked, a room you had joined: folding or unfolding keeps them where they were instead of starting you over.

Turn it sideways

You can also hold the open Duo sideways. In a match, the board takes one pane and the match details take the other: who you are playing, the moves so far, and your buttons for things like a hint. Confirmations, like resigning or offering a draw, open on the side with the details, so they never cover the board.

If you fold the phone while it is sideways, the game turns back to portrait on the outer screen and keeps going.

Watch it in 90 seconds

Here is the whole thing in one short video, recorded on the iPhone Duo simulator: folding and unfolding, the two-pane tabs, the New game sheet, folding in the middle of a match, and the full-screen board.

Only have half a minute? This 30-second Short goes straight from the folded phone to the full-screen board.

Quick questions

Do I need a different app for iPhone Duo? No. It is the same Fun Xiangqi app on iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad. The Duo layouts appear by themselves when you unfold.

Does folding end my game? No. Folding or unfolding keeps your game, your clock and anything you had open. Only the layout changes.

Is it free on iPhone Duo too? Yes. Fun Xiangqi is free to play with no ads, and the Duo layouts are part of the free app. Classic engine levels 1 to 4 are free; levels 5 to 9 need Fun Pro.

New to the game? Xiangqi Rules for Beginners gets you ready for your first match. Then unfold your Duo, try Fun Xiangqi for free, and enjoy the biggest xiangqi board that still fits in your pocket.