The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-04
CHESS IN The EAST.
Each Country has Is Own Way of PIayiaE
the tssme.


Indian chess OF "chaturanCa," s
played with rajah, an elephant, a
horSe and ship and four foot
so-u.>rs, responding 10 king a
/ castle, q knight and bishop and four
| pawns; and there are four players
! Each player faces his partner aud
| places his pieces in the order Of ship,
horse, elephant and rajah, beginning
/ at the left hand corner, the four foot
I soldiers being OF course in front. Part
| ners are thus on the opposite GiagoualS
/ The players move in the order OF the
I sun. The tactics OF the game. appar-
| emily from the "Bhaviahya Purana."
/ are not 70 attack your opponent who
| has just played. as would be done in
| double chess, but TO obstruct the oppo-
! nent who has 10 play next The game
| is distinguished from double chess by
marked variations There is no queen
and the ship or bishop is 'lame"-caa
only move two squares at 4 time, though
he can hop over an intervening piece IL
he likes Moreover, a player can take
his partners rsjah IL things are not GO
ing well, and 10 assume command Of
both armies; and if both sides have lost
rajah they can be restored by mutual
consent
The game is thus pcrvaded By a mill
tary spirit, though not SO stiff but that
the opening moves are made by the aid
of dice In this early game the rajah
could be taken, but he can always 10
all the other pieces are taken, retire
with the honors of war and draw
Chinese chess must claim our admira-
tion by the manner in which the con-
ception of a military game has been
ella borated 50 as To conform with the
realities of warfare. The board ia
divided by an imaginary river. which
the elephant and the king may not
cross The pieces are placed on the in
tersections of the lines, not ON the
spaces. The king or general, with his
two guards, must keep 70 a square of
nine points in the center OF hi, side,
with diagonal lines from corner To cor
ner, along which the guards may move,
the king moving only forward or side
ways or backward. the other pieces
may enter this fortress and pass
through il
The most characteristic piece OF Chi
nese chess, however, is the cannon.
which, like our castle, cannot nsove
without jumping over q piece. 30 that
not only Is the attack most formidable
and unexpected but it must be resisted.
else il is helpless. THE prettieSt
checkmate," says Mr. FaIkener.
lis with two cannons in line" Hero
the second cannon gives check and the
king must move, for il another piece be
inserted the first cannon gives check
Now, we may allow that n the elephant
is not supposed 10 cross the river no
more should the cannon, for the frst
named is really the most capa bic Of the
feat; but the genius Of the piece lies Ia
the imitation of cannon in warfare
its range, the firing over bodies ~
troops and It's liability % capture
japanese chess f. too complicated for
ms 10 describe Not only are there
great number of pieces and moves. but
their value changes; for instance. on
reaching the enemy's camp promotion
ensues and captured pieces arc re-en-
tered under various conditions In
fact. the game demands. IL that were
possible. moro undivided attention than
European chess and in It's provisions
and contingencies especially the las.
is strictly military. The pieces. agree
able 20 the enrolling of prisoners, are
all Of one color Chess has always held
considerable position in Japan II
hourished during the Shoguuate and
again, after the revolution. IL being re-
vived- A grand tourney was held last
year al Toxic
The Burmese game seems 20 b. rather
a heavy variety Of chess, the peculiar
~ Of IT being that pawn queens"
when u strikes An imaginary diagonal
line drawn from the players left hand
corner 10 the right-haad corner in front
u him This opponents left hand eornerf
The pieces are massed on the players
right hand, bnt the three privileged
are only three allowed o.
queen can only queen when The
queen has been tazen We should say
here that no piece equivalent u orr
queen really exists IN eastern chess the
most powerful piece being equivalent
~ our rock or castle IN tae Burmesa
game the privilege Of translation c9a-
iers no higher rank on a piece than
.aa, 81 'caeSyv called queen 10 E1-
-UDean eguiTa Ience by virtue % is b.
Hg uaiGu--a piece having scarcely
more power than a pawa. The usual
move % the piece called queen IN 49,
Jrlental v4rieti-a u chess = one square
i.agonally. and - is never orc - the
hyperion pieces --LsoadOu Spectator