The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-01-26
CHESS IN THE EAST.
Each Cou try Has Its Own Way of Playing
the Game.


Iadian chess or "chaturanga," Is
played with a rajah, an elephant, a
horse and ship and four foot
soldiers, corresponding to a king, a
castle, knight and bishop, and foue
pawns; and there are four players
Each player faces his partner and
places his pieces in the order of ship,
horse, elephant and rajah, beginning
at the left.hand corner, the four foot
soldiers being of course in front. Part
ncrs are thus on the opposite diagonals.
The players move in the order of the
sun. The tactics of the game, appar-
emily from the 'Bhaviahya PuTana,"
are not to attack your opponent who
has just played, as would b. done in
double chess, but to obstru"t the oppo-
nent who has to play next. The game
is distinguished from double chess by
marked variations There is no queen
and the ship Or bishop is ''lame"--can
only move two squares at q time, though
he can hop ovec IN intervening piece If
he likes Moreover, a player can take
his partners rajah if things are not go
ing well, and to assume command of
both armies; an if both sides have lost
! rajah they can be restored by mutual
| consent.
! The game is thus pervaded by mill
| tary spirit, though not SO stiff but that
| the opening moves are made by the aid
of dice In this early game the rajall
could be taken, but he can always, If
all the other pieces are taken, retire
with the honors Of war and draw.
Chinese chess must claim our admira-
! ton by the manner in which the con-
ception of a military game has been
elaborat ted 50 as to conform with the
realities of warfare. The board is
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 to square oil
nine points in the center of his 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 it.
The most characteristic piece of Chi
nese chess. however, is the cannon
which, like our castle, cannot move
without jumping over piece, SO that
not only is the attack most formidable
and unexpected but it must be resisted
else it is helpless. 1.-THE prettiest
checkmate,' says Mr.. Falkener
SIS with two cannons in line" Here
the second cannon gives check, and the
king must move, for if another piece bt
inserted the first cannon gives check
Now, we may allow that if the elephant
is not supposed to cross the river, NJ
more should the cannon, for the frs
named is really the most capable of the
feat; but the genius of the piece lies il
the imitation of cannon in warfare
its range, the firing over bodies o
troops and its liability to capture.
japanese chess is too complicated TO
us to describe Not only are there
great number of pieces and moves, bu
their value changes: for instance, OF
reaching the cnemy's camp promotion
ensues and captured pieces are re-en
tered under various conditions. II
fact, the game demands, if that wer,
possible, more undivided attention thai
European chess and in it's provision
and contingencies, especially the last
is strictly military. The pieces, agree
able to the enrolling of prisoners. ar
all of one color Chess has always hell
considerable position in Japan. l
fiourished during the Shogunate an
again, after the revolution, is being re
vived. A grand tourney was held las
year at Toxic.
The Burmese game seems to b. rathe
heavy variety of chess, the PECULIAR
ty of it being that pawn queens
when it strikes an imaginary diagona
line drawn from the players left-hau
corner to the right-han corner in from
Of him (his opponents left-hand corner)
The pieces are massad on the PLAYER
right hand, but the three privilege
pawns-there are only three allowed t
''queen"-can only queen" when tn
queen has been taken. We should sa
here that no piece equivalent to on
queen really exists in eastern chess, tn
most powerful piece being equivalen
to our rock or castle. In the Burmes
game the privilege of translation cor
fers no higher rank on d piece tina
that of 'chel1oy'-calied queen in Ell
ropean equivalence by virtue of it's bt
ing unique-a piece having scarcel
more power than a pawn. The usua
move of the piece called queen" in a
oriental varieties of chess is one squar
diagonally, and it is never one of tn
superior pieces. Spectator.