Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) - Strategy Wooden Game - Solve It! Think Out of the Box Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) - Strategy Wooden Game Notify me when this product is available: Quantity Add to Cart Called also Xiangqi, it is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. The first chacarter Xiàng here has the meaning "image" or "representational", hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as "representational chess". The game is sometimes called "elephant chess" after an alternative meaning of as "elephant". Xiangqi has a long history. Though its precise origins have not yet been confirmed, the earliest literary reference comes from the 9th century. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in the world. Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces.

Notify me when this product is available: Quantity Add to Cart Nine Men's Morris is a strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman Empire. Known as "cowboy checkers" 9 man's Morris was once printed on the back of most checker boards. A very strategic game for two players. Initially the board is empty. On his turn a player places a peg into an empty space with the eventual goal of making 3 in a row. Once all pegs are on the board, players take turns moving a peg of their color to an unoccupied space. Every time a player makes 3 in a row vertically or horizontally they remove one of their opponent's pieces from the board. Once a player has only 3 pieces remaining they may jump over their opponent's pieces to an empty space as a valid move. The game is over when one player has fewer than 3 pieces on the board.

Nine Men's Morris is a strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman EmpireNine Men's Morris is a strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman Empire Notify me when this product is available: Quantity Add to Cart A variant of Ludo or Sorry popularized in Germanic countries during the last century, barricade combines the cutthroat nature of Sorry with a linear game board. The object of the game is to be the first player to land a ball of their color in the white goal. Each Player chooses a set of 5 pegs placing them on the matching starting positions. The white barricades are placed on the red spaces on the board. Each player rolls the die in turn, highest roll plays first. All pegs may move forward, backwards and sideways. However they have to keep the same direction during one move. The pegs must be moved by the exact number thrown. One can pass non-white pegs of the same color or a different color. You may enter as many pegs as you want to the board during the game. All pegs start from the first black dot. Only one peg stands on a filed. If a peg lands on an occupied space, the peg returns to its starting position.

Barricades are obstacles that may not be passed. Only when a peg lands on a barricade exactly the player whose peg landed on a barricade may place the barricade anywhere except the first row. Used cleverly, barricades block other player's pegs and protect your own. The game ends when one player land exactly in the white goal. Xiangqi Rules - Chess.com Chess.com From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Xiangqi board with pieces in their starting positions. Players Blitz games : up to 10 minutes Random chance - Jyutping : zeong6 kei2 Xiangqi ( Chinese : 象棋) is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess , chaturanga , shogi and janggi . The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English . The first character 象 Xiàng here has the meaning "image" or "representational", hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as "representational chess". The game is sometimes called "elephant chess" after an alternative meaning of 象 as "elephant".

Harold James Ruthven Murray in his A History of Chess spelled its name as "Hsiang-k'i": see Standard Mandarin#The "ki-" sequence , and translates 棋 more generally as "game": "the image game" (or "the elephant game"); the meaning of 棋 may have shifted down the centuries. The game represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemy's "general" piece. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China. Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces. Besides China and areas with significant ethnic Chinese communities, Xiangqi is also a popular pastime in Vietnam . Contents Board Xiangqi is a common pastime in Chinese cities such as Beijing Xiangqi is played on a board that is 9 lines wide by 10 lines long. In a manner similar to the game Go (Wéiqí 圍棋), the pieces are played on the intersections, which are known as points.

The vertical lines are known as files, while the horizontal lines are known as ranks. Centered at the first through third ranks of the board is a square zone also mirrored in the opponent's territory. The three point by three point zone is demarcated by two diagonal lines connecting opposite corners and intersecting at the center point. This area is known as 宮 gōng , the palace or fortress. Dividing the two opposing sides (between the fifth and sixth ranks) is 河 hé, the river. The river is often marked with the phrases 楚河 chǔ hé , meaning " Chu River", and 漢界 (in Traditional Chinese ) or 汉界 (in Simplified Chinese ) hàn jiè , meaning " Han border", a reference to the Chu-Han War . Although the river provides a visual division between the two sides, only a few pieces are affected by its presence: "soldier" pieces have an enhanced move after crossing the river, while "elephant" pieces cannot cross. The starting points of the soldiers and cannons are typically marked with small crosses, but not all boards have these marks. Play The pieces start in the position shown in the diagram above.

Which player moves first has varied throughout history, and also varies from one part of China to another. Some Xiangqi books state that the black side moves first; others state that the red side moves first. Also, some books may refer to the two sides as north and south ; which direction corresponds to which color also varies from source to source. Generally, red goes first in most modern formal tournaments. [1] Each player in turn moves one piece from the point it occupies to another point. Generally pieces are not permitted to move through a point occupied by another piece. A piece can be moved onto a point occupied by an enemy piece, in which case the enemy piece is "captured" and removed from the board. A player cannot capture one of his own pieces. Pieces are never "promoted" (converted into other pieces), although the pawn/soldier is able to move sideways after it crosses the river. Generally all pieces capture using their normal moves. Some pieces have special moves or capture moves, as described below. "Checkmate!" (assuming the cannon is safe) Note that the horse is not actually needed for this to be checkmate. The game ends when one player captures the other's general.

When the general is in danger of being captured by the enemy player on his next move, the general is "in check" (將 (trad.) / 将 (simp.) jiāng . A check should be announced. If the general's player can make no move to prevent the general's capture, the situation is called "checkmate" (將軍 (trad.) / 将军 (simp.)). Under some sets of rules, if the general is not actually taken for some reason, the other player does not lose and can continue playing.[ citation needed ] Under other rules, it is sufficient to reach checkmate. A player with no legal moves left loses. In Xiangqi, a player (often with material or positional disadvantage) may attempt to check or chase pieces in a way that the moves fall in a cycle, forcing the opponent to draw the game. The following special rules are used to make it harder to draw the game by endless checking and chasing (regardless of whether the positions of the pieces are repeated or not): The side that perpetually checks with one piece or several pieces will be ruled to lose under any circumstances unless he or she stops the perpetual checking.

The side that perpetually chases any one unprotected piece with one or more pieces will be ruled to lose under any circumstances unless he or she stops the perpetual chasing. Chases by generals and soldiers are allowed however. [2] If one side perpetually checks and the other side perpetually chases, the perpetually checking side has to stop or be ruled to lose. When neither side violates the rules and both persist in not making an alternate move, the game can be ruled as a draw. When both sides violate the same rule at the same time and both persist in not making an alternate move, the game can be ruled as a draw. Different sets of rules set different limits on what is considered "perpetual". For example, Club Xiangqi rules allow a player to check/chase six consecutive times using one piece, twelve times using two pieces, and eighteen times using three pieces before considering the check/chase a perpetual check/chase.. [2] The above rules to prevent perpetual checking and chasing are popular, but they are by no means the only rules. There are a large number of confusing end game situations. [3] Pieces The pieces are flat circular disks, each with a Chinese character on, sometimes engraved into the surface.

The black pieces are marked with somewhat different characters from the corresponding white pieces; this practice may have originated in situations where there was only one material available to make the pieces from and no coloring material available to distinguish the opposing armies. General The generals are labelled with the Chinese character 將 (trad.) / 将 (simp.) jiàng (general) on the black side and 帥 (trad.) / 帅 (simp.) shuài (marshal) on the red side. Legend has it that originally the pieces were known as emperors , but when an emperor of China heard about the game, he executed two players for "killing" or "capturing" the emperor piece. Future players called them generals instead. The general starts the game at the midpoint of the back edge (within the palace). The general may move one point either vertically or horizontally, but not diagonally. The general cannot leave the palace except to perform the "flying general" move. If the two generals face one another on the same file with no other pieces between them, the "flying general" move can be made—one general moves across the board and captures the other.

Guard The advisors (also known as guards or ministers, and less commonly as assistants, mandarins, or warriors) are labelled 士 shì ("scholar", "gentleman", " officer ") for black and 仕 shì ("scholar", "official") for red. Rarely, sets use the character 士 for both colours. The advisors start to the sides of the general. They move one point diagonally and may not leave the palace, which confines them to five points on the board. They serve to protect the general. The advisor is probably derived from the mantri in Chaturanga , like the queen in Western chess. Elephant The elephants are labelled 象 xiàng (elephant) for black and 相 xiàng (minister) for red. They are located next to the advisors. These pieces move exactly two points diagonally and may not jump over intervening pieces. If an elephant is blocked by an intervening piece, it is known as "blocking the elephant's eye" (塞象眼). They may not cross the river; thus, they serve as defensive pieces Because of an elephant's limited movement, it can be easily trapped or threatened.

Typically the two elephants will be used to defend each other. The Chinese characters for "minister" and "elephant" are homophones ( Listen ) and both have alternative meanings as "appearance" or "image". However, both are referred to as elephants in the game. Horse The red horse may take the black horse, but the black horse cannot take the red horse because its movement is obstructed by another piece Green moves are legal; red ones are illegal because another piece is obstructing the movement of the horse The horses are labelled 馬 mǎ for black and 傌 mà for red in sets marked with Traditional Chinese characters and 马 mǎ for both black and red in sets marked with Simplified Chinese characters . Some traditional sets use 馬 for both colours. They begin the game next to the elephants. A horse moves one point vertically or horizontally and then one point diagonally away from its former position. It is important to note that the horse does not jump as the knight does in Western chess. Thus, if there were a piece lying on a point one point away horizontally or vertically from the horse, then the horse's path of movement is blocked and it is unable to move in that direction.

Note, however, that a piece two points away horizontally or vertically or a piece a single point away diagonally would not impede the movement of the horse. A blocked horse is also known as " hobbling the horse's leg" (蹩馬腿). The diagram on the left illustrates the horse's movement. Since horses can be blocked, it is sometimes possible to trap the opponent's horse. It is possible for one player's horse to attack the opponent's horse while the opponent's horse is blocked from attacking, as seen in the diagram on the right. Chariot The chariots are labelled 車 for black and 俥 for red in sets marked with Traditional Chinese characters and 车 for both black and red in sets marked with Simplified Chinese characters . Some traditional sets use 車 for both colors. All of these characters are pronounced as jū . The chariot moves and captures vertically and horizontally any distance, and may not jump over intervening pieces. The chariots begin the game on the points at the corners of the board. The chariot is considered to be the strongest piece in the game.

The chariot is sometimes known as the "rook" by English speaking players, since it is like the rook in Western chess. Chinese players (and others) often call this piece a "car", since that is one modern meaning of the character 車. Cannon The long-range threat of the cannon The cannons are labelled 砲 pào for black and 炮 pào for red. They are homophones . 砲 pào means a " catapult " for hurling boulders. 炮 pào means "cannon". The 石 shì radical of 砲 means 'stone', and the 火 huǒ part of 炮 means 'fire'. However, both are referred to as cannon in the game. In Xiangqi, each player has two cannons. The cannons start on the row behind the soldiers, two points in front of the horses. Cannons move like the chariots, horizontally and vertically, but capture by jumping exactly one piece (whether it is friendly or enemy) over to its target. When capturing, the cannon is moved to the point of the captured piece. The cannon may not jump over intervening pieces if not capturing another piece.

The piece which the cannon jumps over is called the 炮臺 (trad.) / 炮台 (simp.) pào tái ("cannon platform"). Any number of unoccupied spaces may exist between the cannon and the cannon platform, or between the cannon platform and the piece to be captured, including no spaces (the pieces being adjacent) in both cases. Cannons are powerful pieces at the beginning of the game when platforms are plentiful, and are used frequently in combination with chariots to achieve checkmate. Although cannons can be exchanged for a horse immediately from their starting positions, this is usually not favorable, in part due to the superiority of cannons over horses at the beginning of the game. The two cannons, when used together, can form a check that cannot be stopped easily. As they line up in the attack against the opposing general, the back cannon checks the general while the front cannon, serving as the platform, prohibits blocking for the opposing side. The opposing side can only move the general, capture the back cannon, or block between the two cannons. Soldier Each side has five soldiers, labelled 卒 zú (pawn/private) for black and 兵 bīng (soldier) for red.

Soldiers are placed on alternating points, one row back from the edge of the river. They move and capture by advancing one point. Once they have crossed the river, they may also move (and capture) one point horizontally. Soldiers cannot move backward, and therefore cannot retreat; however, they may still move sideways at the enemy's edge. The soldier is sometimes known as the "pawn" by English speaking players, since it is similar to that piece in Western chess. Approximate relative values of the pieces Piece Chariot 9 These advisory values do not take into account positional advantages. For example, the chariot at the corner in the beginning of the game is not very useful, but it can be moved to points where it affects the game much more, for example near the center of the board or the opponent's palace. Also, the value of a cannon drops as the game goes on due to having fewer platforms for use in capturing, while the value of the horse increases slightly due to fewer obstructions.

Despite the chariot having the highest value of 9 points, it should be pointed out that often, players will, at certain game scenarios, value a cannon/horse on or exceeding the level of a chariot due to the piece's unique attack style. What's left on the board is also important to value of piece. For example, in a mid or late game, if red still has two chariots and black has one advisor left, that advisor is very valuable for black because it is very easy for red to checkmate with two chariots if black does not have an advisor. Equipment One player's pieces are usually painted red (or, less commonly, white ), and the other player's pieces are usually painted black (or, less commonly, blue or green ). Xiangqi pieces are represented by disks marked with a Chinese character identifying the piece and painted in a colour identifying to which player the piece belongs. Modern pieces are usually made with plastic, though some sets use pieces made of wood , and more expensive sets may use pieces made of jade .

In more ancient times, many sets were simple unpainted woodcarvings; thus, to distinguish between the pieces of the two sides, most corresponding pieces use characters that are similar but vary slightly between the two sides. The oldest Xiangqi piece found to date is in Henan Provincial Museum - a 俥 piece. In mainland China, most sets still use traditional characters for the pieces. Notation There are several types of notation used to record Xiangqi games. In each case the moves are numbered and written with the same general pattern. (first move) (first response) It is clearer but not required to write each move pair on a separate line. Notational system 1 The book The Chess of China [4] describes a notational system of absolute positional references in which the ranks of the board are numbered 1 to 10 from closest to farthest away, followed by a digit 1 to 9 for files from right to left. Both values are relative to the moving player.

Moves are then indicated as follows: [piece name] ([former rank][former file])-[new rank][new file] Thus, the most common opening in the game would be written as: 炮 (32)–35, 馬 (18)–37 Notational system 2 A notational system partially described in A Manual of Chinese Chess [5] and used by several computer software implementations describes positions in relative terms as follows: [single-letter piece abbreviation][former file][operator indicating direction of movement][new file, or in the case of purely vertical movement, number of ranks traversed] The file numbers are counted from each player's right to each player's left. In case there are two identical pieces in one file, symbols + (front) and - (rear) are used instead of former file number. Direction of movement is indicated via an operator symbol. A plus sign is used to indicate forward movement. A minus sign or hyphen is used to indicate backwards movement. A dot or period or equal sign is used to indicate horizontal or lateral movement. If a piece (such as the horse or elephant) simultaneously moves both vertically and horizontally, then the plus or minus sign is used rather than the period.

Thus, the most common opening in the game would be written as: C2.5 H8+7 The single letter piece abbreviations are Piece Asian Chess - Chess.com Chess.com First is about Shogi or Japanese Chess: "Shogi (将棋, shōgi ? , generals' chess), pronounced /ˈʃoʊɡiː/ (rhymes with yogi) in English, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess , chaturanga , Chinese Xiangqi , and Korean Janggi , and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan . Shōgi means general's (shō) boardgame (gi). In early years, however, shogi was written 象棋 (the same as Xiangqi , "elephant chess"). The earliest predecessors of the game, chaturanga, originated in India in the 6th century AD, and spread from China to Japan, where it spawned a number of variants.

Shogi in its present form was played as early as the 16th century, while a direct ancestor without the "drop rule" was recorded from 1210 in a historical document Nichūreki, which is an edited copy of Shōchūreki and Kaichūreki from the late Heian period (ca 1120). According to ChessVariants.com, "Perhaps the enduring popularity of Shogi can be attributed to its 'drop rule'; it was the first chess variant wherein captured pieces could be returned to the board to be used as one's own. David Pritchard credits the drop rule to the practice of 16th century mercenaries who switched loyalties when captured—no doubt as an alternative to execution." And second is about Xiangqi or Chinese chess: "Xiangqi ( Chinese : 象棋) is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess , chaturanga , shogi and janggi . The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English .

The first character 象 Xiàng here has the meaning "image" or "representational", hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as "representational chess". The game is sometimes called "elephant chess" after an alternative meaning of 象 as "elephant". Harold James Ruthven Murray in his A History of Chess spelled its name as "Hsiang-k'i": see Standard Mandarin#The "ki-" sequence , and translates 棋 more generally as "game": "the image game" (or "the elephant game"); the meaning of 棋 may have shifted down the centuries. The game represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemy's "general" piece. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China. Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces.

Besides China and areas with significant ethnic Chinese communities, Xiangqi is also a popular pastime in Vietnam ." (more on ) So, if you are a lover of eastern culture, or just want to try (we are playing in the group forums) a new game that has the same roots as our International variant come and join us! Chinese Chess Chinese Chess 2.Game Play Xiangqi (Chinese: pinyin: xiangqi; Wade-Giles: hsiang-ch'i; is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. The first character Xiang here has the meaning "image" or "representational", hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as "representational chess". The game is sometimes called "elephant chess" after an alternative meaning of Xiang as "elephant". Xiangqi has a long history. Though its precise origins have not yet been confirmed, the earliest indications reveal that the game was played as early as the 4th century BC in China. Some sources state that the creator of Xiangqi is Han Xin.

It is said that Xiangqi was created by Han Xin to prepare him for the battle against Xiang Yu. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in the world. Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces. Initial Setup Xiangqi is played on a board that is 9 lines wide by 10 lines long. In a manner similar to the game Go (Weiqi), the pieces are played on the intersections, which are known as points. The vertical lines are known as files, while the horizontal lines are known as ranks. With a few awkward substitutions, it is possible to play this game using a standard chess set. Centered at the first through third ranks of the board is a square zone also mirrored in the opponent's territory. The three point by three point zone is demarcated by two diagonal lines connecting opposite corners and intersecting at the center point. This area is known as gong, the palace or fortress.

Dividing the two opposing sides (between the fifth and sixth ranks) is he, the river. The river is often marked with the phrases chu he, meaning "Chu River", and han jie, meaning "Han border", a reference to the Chu-Han War. Although the river provides a visual division between the two sides, only a few pieces are affected by its presence: soldiers are promoted after crossing, and elephants cannot cross the river. The starting points of the soldiers and cannons are typically marked with small crosses, but not all boards have these marks. Game Play The two players take command of pieces on either side of the river. One player's pieces are usually painted red (or, less commonly, white), and the other player's pieces are usually painted black (or, less commonly, blue or green). Which player moves first has varied throughout history, and also varies from one part to another of China. Some xiangqi books state that the black side moves first; others state that the red side moves first. Also, some books may refer to the two sides as north and south; which direction corresponds to which color also varies from source to source. Generally, red goes first in most modern formal tournaments.

Marshal/General The generals are labelled with the Chinese character, jiang (general) on the black side and shuai (marshal) on the red side. These pieces are equivalent to the kings of Western chess. Legend has it that originally the pieces were known as emperors, but when an emperor of China heard about the game, he executed two players for "killing" or "capturing" the emperor piece. Future players called them generals instead. The general starts the game at the midpoint of the back edge (within the palace). The general may move one point either vertically or horizontally, but not diagonally. The general cannot leave the palace under any circumstances (except under the flying general rule mentioned below); thus, the general can only move to and stay on the 9 points within the palace. When a general is threatened by an enemy piece, the general is said to be "in check." When the general is in check and unable to escape check on the player's move, it is said to be checkmated, and the player loses the game. A player also loses when his or her general is not threatened, but he or she can make no legal move that doesn't put the general in check; a stalemate rule does not exist.

If a player makes a move that leaves the two generals facing one another on the same file with no other pieces placed in between, then the general is in check. This rule is known as the flying general (??f?iji?ng in Chinese), and states that one general may "fly" across the board and capture the other if they are in the same file with no pieces in between. This is a very important feature of the Xiangqi game and is often forgotten by new players of the game. It is important because the general often plays a role in enforcing checkmate, especially when many of the other pieces have been taken and the board is wide open. Indeed, a win remains possible as long as a player has at least a single horse, chariot, or soldier not on the last rank. If a player forgets this rule and moves a piece that exposes a clear line between his or her general and his opponent's, he or she loses the game if his or her opponent notices what has happened.

Advisor/Guard The advisors (also known as guards or ministers, and less commonly as assistants, mandarins, or warriors) are labelled shi ("scholar", "gentleman", "officer") for black and shi("scholar", "official") for red. Rarely, sets use the character for both colours. While their origin is probably not the same as that of the queen in Western chess (from the mantri in Chaturanga), their powers are distinct from those of the queen (but similar to that of the mantri). The advisors start to the sides of the general. They move one point diagonally and may not leave the palace. This effectively means they can only move to five of the points within the palace. They serve to protect the general/marshal. Minister/War Elephant The elephants are labelled xiang (elephant) for black and xiang (minister) for red. They are located next to the advisors. These pieces move exactly two points diagonally and may not jump over intervening pieces. They may not cross the river; thus, they serve as defensive pieces. There are only seven possible points on the board to which they can move.

Because of an elephant's limited movement, it can be easily trapped or threatened. A chariot can threaten one just by moving to a space where all brown spaces available to the elephant are threatened. Since one elephant could be easily captured, it depends on the other for protection. The Chinese characters for "minister" and "elephant" are homophones (listen) and both have alternative meanings as "appearance" or "image". However, both are referred to as elephants in the game. Horse/Cavalry The horses are labelled ma for black and ma for red in sets marked with Traditional Chinese characters and ma for both black and red in sets marked with Simplified Chinese characters. Some traditional sets use this for both colours. They begin the game next to the elephants. It moves one point vertically or horizontally and then one point diagonally away from its former position. It is important to note that the horse does not jump. Thus, if there were a piece lying on a point one point away horizontally or vertically from the horse, then the horse's path of movement is blocked and it is unable to move in that direction.

Note, however, that a piece two points away horizontally or vertically or a piece a single point away diagonally would not impede the movement of the horse. The diagram on the left illustrates the horse's movement. Since horses can be blocked, it is sometimes possible to trap the opponent's horse. A horse if blocked when there is a piece in front of it on the line that it [will] move 2 points. It is possible for one player's horse to attack the opponent's horse while the opponent's horse is blocked from attacking, as seen in the diagram on the right. Chariot/Rook The chariot moves and captures vertically and horizontally any distance. The chariots begin the game on the points at the corners of the board. Their placement and movement is similar to that of a rook in western chess. The chariot/rook piece is considered to be the strongest piece in the game. Cannon/Catapult In Xiangqi, each player has two cannons. The cannons start on the row behind the soldiers, two points in front of the horses. Cannons move like the chariots, horizontally and vertically, but capture by jumping exactly one piece (whether it is friendly or enemy) over to its target.

When capturing, the cannon is moved to the point of the captured piece. Any number of unoccupied spaces may exist between the cannon and the cannon platform, or between the cannon platform and the piece to be captured, including no spaces (the pieces being adjacent) in both cases. Cannons are powerful at the beginning of the game when platforms are plentiful, and are typically used in combination with chariots to effect mate. Private/Soldier Each side has five soldiers. Soldiers are placed on alternating points, one row back from the edge of the river. They move and capture by advancing one point. Once they have crossed the river, they may also move (and capture) one point horizontally. Soldiers cannot move backward, and therefore cannot retreat; however, they may still move sideways at the enemy's edge. Chinese Chess / Co Tuong - Android Apps on Google Play Chinese Chess / Co Tuong ( 6,402) Description Action Chinese Chess is the best Chinese Chess board game, aka Co Tuong or Xiangqi in the market with amazing graphics, smart computer and awesome features. 6 Play Modes: ♥ Classic: play offline with 10 difficulty levels of Computer, from beginner to expert.

♥ Solve Puzzles: hundreds of fun Puzzles await to be solved, the best way to learn Co Tuong. ♥ 2 Players: play-and-pass directly with friends on the same device. ♥ World Tournament: play online with friends and other players all around the world. ♥ Vietnamese Mystery Chess (Cờ Tướng Úp), aka Co Tuong Up or Co Up. ♥ Taiwanese Dark Chess (暗棋), aka Blind Chess (盲棋), Half Chess (半棋) or Banqi. Special Features: ♥ Teach you to play Chinese Chess with Endgame Puzzles, Tactics and Hints. ♥ Multiple Skins and with either Chinese or Western Chess Symbols. ♥ Brilliant interactive User Interface, beautiful graphics and animations. ♥ Ability to show possible moves, unlimitedly Unmove. ♥ Ability to invite friends, share your games via Facebook, Twitter, Sina Weibo. ♥ Google Game Leaderboards and Achievements. Chinese Chess is also known as Xiangqi, Xiàng Qí, 中国象棋, シャンチー, Cờ Tướng, Co Tuong, Cotuong, Asian Chess, Janggi.

This game is also designed for Chess, Checker and Mahjong players; you don't need to read Chinese characters, the game can show you the equivalent chess symbols. Read more Xiangqi (chinese chess) - Carolus Chess Chess Variations ‎ > ‎ Xiangqi (chinese chess) Xiangqi 象 (xiáng) 棋 (qí ) means Elephant Game. Xiangqi is known in the west as Chinese Chess, is an extremely popular game in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is currently played by millions (or tens of millions) in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong and other Asian countries. Xiangqi has remained in its present form for centuries. It is commonly believed that both Xiangqi and Orthodox Chess derive from the original Indian game of Chanturanga . The two games are played by approximately the same rules, and except for the Cannon, every Xiangqi piece is very similar to the Chaturanga piece that occupies roughly the same position and bears a name similar or identical in meaning. The game represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemy's "general" piece.

Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces. History Xiangqi has a long history. Though its precise origins have not yet been definitely confirmed, the earliest indications reveal the game may have been played as early as the first century AD, during the Warring States Period . (See chess in early literature and timeline of chess .) Judging by its rules, Xiangqi was apparently closely related to military strategists in ancient China . The ancient Chinese game of Liubo may have had an influence as well. The chess historian Harold James Ruthven Murray wrote that Chinese chess arose as a modification of the chess that spread from India (see History of chess ), and that "in China it took over the board and name of a game called 象棋 in the sense of "Constellation Game" (rendered by Murray as "Astronomical Game"), which represented the apparent movements of naked-eye-visible astronomical objects in the night sky, and that the earliest Chinese references to 象棋 meant the Astronomical Game and not Chinese chess".

Harold James Ruthven Murray in his A History of Chess spelled its name as "Hsiang-k'i" (i.e. Xiangki, but using the Wade-Giles Romanization system for Mandarin Chinese : see Mandarin phonology#Consonants ), and translates 棋 more generally as "chess": "Image game" (or "Elephant Chess"); the meaning of 棋 may have shifted down the centuries. The word Xiàngqí 象棋 means "elephant game" and "figure game". It can also be treated as meaning " constellation game", and sometimes the xiàngqí board's "river" is called the "heavenly river", which may mean the Milky Way , Murray theorized that previous games called xiàngqí may have been based on the movements of sky objects. However, in the name 象棋 (棋 means "game"), the Chinese character 象 means "elephant" and "figure"; it originated as a stylized drawing of an elephant, and was used also to write a word meaning "figure", likely because the two words were pronounced the same .

The connection between 象 and astronomy is marginal, and arose from constellations being called merely "figures" in astronomical contexts where other meanings of "figure" were less likely; this usage may have led some ancient Chinese authors to theorize that the game 象棋 started as a simulation of astronomy. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period , wars were fought for years running. A new strategy board game was patterned after the array of troops (according to a hypothesis by David H. Li , this was developed by Han Xin in the winter of 204 BC-203 BC to prepare for an upcoming battle). This was the earliest form of Xiangqi. During the Cao Wei , Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties , a kind of strategy game was popular among the people. It laid a foundation for the finalized pattern of Xiangqi. In ancient times, both the educated and uneducated alike enjoyed Xiangqi. Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou once wrote a book Xiang Jing in AD569. Three forms of the game took shape after the Song Dynasty . One of them consisted of 32 pieces.

They were played on a board with 9 vertical lines and 9 horizontal lines. Popular in those days was a board without a river borderline; the Korean game of janggi is derived from this earlier riverless version. The river borderline was added later, and this form of the game has lasted to the present day. With the economic and cultural development during the Qing Dynasty , Xiangqi entered a new stage. Many different schools of circles and players came into prominence. With the popularization of Xiangqi, many books and manuals on the techniques of playing the game were published. They played an important role in popularizing Xiangqi and improving the techniques of play in modern times. Xiangqi Rules - Chess.com Chess.com From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Xiangqi board with pieces in their starting positions. Players Blitz games : up to 10 minutes Random chance - Jyutping : zeong6 kei2 Xiangqi ( Chinese : 象棋) is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess , chaturanga , shogi and janggi . The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English .

The first character 象 Xiàng here has the meaning "image" or "representational", hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as "representational chess". The game is sometimes called "elephant chess" after an alternative meaning of 象 as "elephant". Harold James Ruthven Murray in his A History of Chess spelled its name as "Hsiang-k'i": see Standard Mandarin#The "ki-" sequence , and translates 棋 more generally as "game": "the image game" (or "the elephant game"); the meaning of 棋 may have shifted down the centuries. The game represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemy's "general" piece. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China. Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces. Besides China and areas with significant ethnic Chinese communities, Xiangqi is also a popular pastime in Vietnam .

Contents Board Xiangqi is a common pastime in Chinese cities such as Beijing Xiangqi is played on a board that is 9 lines wide by 10 lines long. In a manner similar to the game Go (Wéiqí 圍棋), the pieces are played on the intersections, which are known as points. The vertical lines are known as files, while the horizontal lines are known as ranks. Centered at the first through third ranks of the board is a square zone also mirrored in the opponent's territory. The three point by three point zone is demarcated by two diagonal lines connecting opposite corners and intersecting at the center point. This area is known as 宮 gōng , the palace or fortress. Dividing the two opposing sides (between the fifth and sixth ranks) is 河 hé, the river. The river is often marked with the phrases 楚河 chǔ hé , meaning " Chu River", and 漢界 (in Traditional Chinese ) or 汉界 (in Simplified Chinese ) hàn jiè , meaning " Han border", a reference to the Chu-Han War .

Although the river provides a visual division between the two sides, only a few pieces are affected by its presence: "soldier" pieces have an enhanced move after crossing the river, while "elephant" pieces cannot cross. The starting points of the soldiers and cannons are typically marked with small crosses, but not all boards have these marks. Play The pieces start in the position shown in the diagram above. Which player moves first has varied throughout history, and also varies from one part of China to another. Some Xiangqi books state that the black side moves first; others state that the red side moves first. Also, some books may refer to the two sides as north and south ; which direction corresponds to which color also varies from source to source. Generally, red goes first in most modern formal tournaments. [1] Each player in turn moves one piece from the point it occupies to another point. Generally pieces are not permitted to move through a point occupied by another piece. A piece can be moved onto a point occupied by an enemy piece, in which case the enemy piece is "captured" and removed from the board. A player cannot capture one of his own pieces.

Pieces are never "promoted" (converted into other pieces), although the pawn/soldier is able to move sideways after it crosses the river. Generally all pieces capture using their normal moves. Some pieces have special moves or capture moves, as described below. "Checkmate!" (assuming the cannon is safe) Note that the horse is not actually needed for this to be checkmate. The game ends when one player captures the other's general. When the general is in danger of being captured by the enemy player on his next move, the general is "in check" (將 (trad.) / 将 (simp.) jiāng . A check should be announced. If the general's player can make no move to prevent the general's capture, the situation is called "checkmate" (將軍 (trad.) / 将军 (simp.)). Under some sets of rules, if the general is not actually taken for some reason, the other player does not lose and can continue playing.[ citation needed ] Under other rules, it is sufficient to reach checkmate. A player with no legal moves left loses.

In Xiangqi, a player (often with material or positional disadvantage) may attempt to check or chase pieces in a way that the moves fall in a cycle, forcing the opponent to draw the game. The following special rules are used to make it harder to draw the game by endless checking and chasing (regardless of whether the positions of the pieces are repeated or not): The side that perpetually checks with one piece or several pieces will be ruled to lose under any circumstances unless he or she stops the perpetual checking. The side that perpetually chases any one unprotected piece with one or more pieces will be ruled to lose under any circumstances unless he or she stops the perpetual chasing. Chases by generals and soldiers are allowed however. [2] If one side perpetually checks and the other side perpetually chases, the perpetually checking side has to stop or be ruled to lose. When neither side violates the rules and both persist in not making an alternate move, the game can be ruled as a draw. When both sides violate the same rule at the same time and both persist in not making an alternate move, the game can be ruled as a draw. Different sets of rules set different limits on what is considered "perpetual".

For example, Club Xiangqi rules allow a player to check/chase six consecutive times using one piece, twelve times using two pieces, and eighteen times using three pieces before considering the check/chase a perpetual check/chase.. [2] The above rules to prevent perpetual checking and chasing are popular, but they are by no means the only rules. There are a large number of confusing end game situations. [3] Pieces The pieces are flat circular disks, each with a Chinese character on, sometimes engraved into the surface. The black pieces are marked with somewhat different characters from the corresponding white pieces; this practice may have originated in situations where there was only one material available to make the pieces from and no coloring material available to distinguish the opposing armies. General The generals are labelled with the Chinese character 將 (trad.) / 将 (simp.) jiàng (general) on the black side and 帥 (trad.) / 帅 (simp.) shuài (marshal) on the red side. Legend has it that originally the pieces were known as emperors , but when an emperor of China heard about the game, he executed two players for "killing" or "capturing" the emperor piece. Future players called them generals instead.

The general starts the game at the midpoint of the back edge (within the palace). The general may move one point either vertically or horizontally, but not diagonally. The general cannot leave the palace except to perform the "flying general" move. If the two generals face one another on the same file with no other pieces between them, the "flying general" move can be made—one general moves across the board and captures the other. Guard The advisors (also known as guards or ministers, and less commonly as assistants, mandarins, or warriors) are labelled 士 shì ("scholar", "gentleman", " officer ") for black and 仕 shì ("scholar", "official") for red. Rarely, sets use the character 士 for both colours. The advisors start to the sides of the general. They move one point diagonally and may not leave the palace, which confines them to five points on the board. They serve to protect the general. The advisor is probably derived from the mantri in Chaturanga , like the queen in Western chess. Elephant The elephants are labelled 象 xiàng (elephant) for black and 相 xiàng (minister) for red.

They are located next to the advisors. These pieces move exactly two points diagonally and may not jump over intervening pieces. If an elephant is blocked by an intervening piece, it is known as "blocking the elephant's eye" (塞象眼). They may not cross the river; thus, they serve as defensive pieces Because of an elephant's limited movement, it can be easily trapped or threatened. Typically the two elephants will be used to defend each other. The Chinese characters for "minister" and "elephant" are homophones ( Listen ) and both have alternative meanings as "appearance" or "image". However, both are referred to as elephants in the game. Horse The red horse may take the black horse, but the black horse cannot take the red horse because its movement is obstructed by another piece Green moves are legal; red ones are illegal because another piece is obstructing the movement of the horse The horses are labelled 馬 mǎ for black and 傌 mà for red in sets marked with Traditional Chinese characters and 马 mǎ for both black and red in sets marked with Simplified Chinese characters . Some traditional sets use 馬 for both colours. They begin the game next to the elephants.

A horse moves one point vertically or horizontally and then one point diagonally away from its former position. It is important to note that the horse does not jump as the knight does in Western chess. Thus, if there were a piece lying on a point one point away horizontally or vertically from the horse, then the horse's path of movement is blocked and it is unable to move in that direction. Note, however, that a piece two points away horizontally or vertically or a piece a single point away diagonally would not impede the movement of the horse. A blocked horse is also known as " hobbling the horse's leg" (蹩馬腿). The diagram on the left illustrates the horse's movement. Since horses can be blocked, it is sometimes possible to trap the opponent's horse. It is possible for one player's horse to attack the opponent's horse while the opponent's horse is blocked from attacking, as seen in the diagram on the right. Chariot The chariots are labelled 車 for black and 俥 for red in sets marked with Traditional Chinese characters and 车 for both black and red in sets marked with Simplified Chinese characters . Some traditional sets use 車 for both colors.

All of these characters are pronounced as jū . The chariot moves and captures vertically and horizontally any distance, and may not jump over intervening pieces. The chariots begin the game on the points at the corners of the board. The chariot is considered to be the strongest piece in the game. The chariot is sometimes known as the "rook" by English speaking players, since it is like the rook in Western chess. Chinese players (and others) often call this piece a "car", since that is one modern meaning of the character 車. Cannon The long-range threat of the cannon The cannons are labelled 砲 pào for black and 炮 pào for red. They are homophones . 砲 pào means a " catapult " for hurling boulders. 炮 pào means "cannon". The 石 shì radical of 砲 means 'stone', and the 火 huǒ part of 炮 means 'fire'. However, both are referred to as cannon in the game. In Xiangqi, each player has two cannons. The cannons start on the row behind the soldiers, two points in front of the horses.

Cannons move like the chariots, horizontally and vertically, but capture by jumping exactly one piece (whether it is friendly or enemy) over to its target. When capturing, the cannon is moved to the point of the captured piece. The cannon may not jump over intervening pieces if not capturing another piece. The piece which the cannon jumps over is called the 炮臺 (trad.) / 炮台 (simp.) pào tái ("cannon platform"). Any number of unoccupied spaces may exist between the cannon and the cannon platform, or between the cannon platform and the piece to be captured, including no spaces (the pieces being adjacent) in both cases. Cannons are powerful pieces at the beginning of the game when platforms are plentiful, and are used frequently in combination with chariots to achieve checkmate. Although cannons can be exchanged for a horse immediately from their starting positions, this is usually not favorable, in part due to the superiority of cannons over horses at the beginning of the game. The two cannons, when used together, can form a check that cannot be stopped easily.

As they line up in the attack against the opposing general, the back cannon checks the general while the front cannon, serving as the platform, prohibits blocking for the opposing side. The opposing side can only move the general, capture the back cannon, or block between the two cannons. Soldier Each side has five soldiers, labelled 卒 zú (pawn/private) for black and 兵 bīng (soldier) for red. Soldiers are placed on alternating points, one row back from the edge of the river. They move and capture by advancing one point. Once they have crossed the river, they may also move (and capture) one point horizontally. Soldiers cannot move backward, and therefore cannot retreat; however, they may still move sideways at the enemy's edge. The soldier is sometimes known as the "pawn" by English speaking players, since it is similar to that piece in Western chess. Approximate relative values of the pieces Piece Chariot 9 These advisory values do not take into account positional advantages.

For example, the chariot at the corner in the beginning of the game is not very useful, but it can be moved to points where it affects the game much more, for example near the center of the board or the opponent's palace. Also, the value of a cannon drops as the game goes on due to having fewer platforms for use in capturing, while the value of the horse increases slightly due to fewer obstructions. Despite the chariot having the highest value of 9 points, it should be pointed out that often, players will, at certain game scenarios, value a cannon/horse on or exceeding the level of a chariot due to the piece's unique attack style. What's left on the board is also important to value of piece. For example, in a mid or late game, if red still has two chariots and black has one advisor left, that advisor is very valuable for black because it is very easy for red to checkmate with two chariots if black does not have an advisor. Equipment One player's pieces are usually painted red (or, less commonly, white ), and the other player's pieces are usually painted black (or, less commonly, blue or green ).

Xiangqi pieces are represented by disks marked with a Chinese character identifying the piece and painted in a colour identifying to which player the piece belongs. Modern pieces are usually made with plastic, though some sets use pieces made of wood , and more expensive sets may use pieces made of jade . In more ancient times, many sets were simple unpainted woodcarvings; thus, to distinguish between the pieces of the two sides, most corresponding pieces use characters that are similar but vary slightly between the two sides. The oldest Xiangqi piece found to date is in Henan Provincial Museum - a 俥 piece. In mainland China, most sets still use traditional characters for the pieces. Notation There are several types of notation used to record Xiangqi games. In each case the moves are numbered and written with the same general pattern. (first move) (first response) It is clearer but not required to write each move pair on a separate line. Notational system 1 The book The Chess of China [4] describes a notational system of absolute positional references in which the ranks of the board are numbered 1 to 10 from closest to farthest away, followed by a digit 1 to 9 for files from right to left.

Both values are relative to the moving player. Moves are then indicated as follows: [piece name] ([former rank][former file])-[new rank][new file] Thus, the most common opening in the game would be written as: 炮 (32)–35, 馬 (18)–37 Notational system 2 A notational system partially described in A Manual of Chinese Chess [5] and used by several computer software implementations describes positions in relative terms as follows: [single-letter piece abbreviation][former file][operator indicating direction of movement][new file, or in the case of purely vertical movement, number of ranks traversed] The file numbers are counted from each player's right to each player's left. In case there are two identical pieces in one file, symbols + (front) and - (rear) are used instead of former file number. Direction of movement is indicated via an operator symbol. A plus sign is used to indicate forward movement. A minus sign or hyphen is used to indicate backwards movement. A dot or period or equal sign is used to indicate horizontal or lateral movement.

If a piece (such as the horse or elephant) simultaneously moves both vertically and horizontally, then the plus or minus sign is used rather than the period. Thus, the most common opening in the game would be written as: C2.5 H8+7 The single letter piece abbreviations are Piece Chess Chess Home » Chess Chess Sometimes called the "Royal Game" or the "Game of Kings", Chess is one of the oldest games of skill, having originated in Asia – where two related games, Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) and Shogi (Japanese Chess), are still popular – and reaching Europe by the 15th century. Since then, the game has been standardized and internationalized, and is now known as "Western Chess". It remains incredibly popular today, and is prized for its simple rules yet endless strategic depth. Chess is played on a game board made up of 64 squares, alternately dark and light in color. Each player starts with sixteen chessmen, either white or black. Pieces are set down in a particular starting formation. Each different type of piece is moved according to specific rules and is removed from the board when it is captured by the opponent. The object is to "checkmate" the opponent's king.

Obviously, this description doesn't begin to scratch the surface of this elegant and engaging abstract strategy game. To learn more about the game, check out some of our Chess Books and Chess Links , or download some Chess Software to help teach you the game. Chess Products

Question: Sometimes called elephant or chinese chess, what is this game known as in the Asian Games?
Answer: Xiangqi