Salpakan Strategy Guide

The board is 9 columns by 8 rows. You set up your 21 pieces in the three rows closest to you, which leaves the two middle rows empty. Those rows are where the first contact happens, so what you place on your front row decides how the opening goes.

• Do not make the Flag obvious. Most players keep it on the back row, but mixing up which column and which neighbours you use makes it harder to guess. A piece that never moves is a clue, so keep some other pieces still too.
• Guard the Flag, but not too loudly. Keep a piece or two nearby so you have a chance to react if an attacker approaches. A heavily stacked corner tells your opponent where to look.
• Keep a Spy near your best Generals. The Spy beats any General, so it is most useful sitting within reach of the pieces your opponent is likely to send at you.
• Spread your Privates. You have six, and they are your only answer to an enemy Spy. Put some at the front to probe and keep others close to your own Generals.

• Track what you have seen. Every challenge tells you something about the pieces involved. Keep a running count of which ranks are gone, because with each trade the remaining pieces become easier to identify.
• Bluff with movement. A low piece advancing confidently looks like a General, and a General held back looks like a Private. Your opponent is guessing as much as you are.
• Probe cheaply. Use Privates and lower officers to test an unknown piece before risking a General on it.
• Handle the 5-Star General with care. It loses only to a Spy, so an opponent who cannot beat it on rank will hope to meet it with one. Be wary of sending it into pieces that have stayed back and never moved.

With fewer pieces, the flag race matters. If your Flag reaches your opponent's back row and survives their next move, you win on the spot, so a Flag that is not buried at the back can be a real weapon late in the game. Likewise, keep a piece close enough to stop an enemy Flag from running up the board unchecked.

Once most of the ranks are accounted for, count carefully. If you know your opponent has no Spy left, your Generals are safe from everything but a higher General, and you can push without worrying about the usual ambush.

The quickest way to improve is to play and review. Start a game, send the link to a friend, and use the replay GIF after the match to see where it turned. If you need a reminder of the rules first, read the how to play guide or the rank chart.