This posting is intended to address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the game of Chinese chess (otherwise known as "xiangqi" 象棋 or "elephant game" or "co tuong"). Corrections, additions, suggestions, etc., should be sent to Stephen Leary at al269@yfn.ysu.edu. It is hoped that this first draft of the FAQ will grow and improve with time, as information is received and posted to the newsgroup, then incorporated into the FAQ.
r---n---m---g---k---g---m---n---r 9
| | | | \ | / | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 8
| | | | / | \ | | | |
+---c---+---+---+---+---+---c---+ 7
| | | | | | | | |
p---+---p---+---p---+---p---+---p 6
| | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 5
| R I V E R |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 4
| | | | | | | | |
P---+---P---+---P---+---P---+---P 3
| | | | | | | | |
+---C---+---+---+---+---+---C---+ 2
| | | | \ | / | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 1
| | | | / | \ | | | |
R---N---M---G---K---G---M---N---R 0
A B C D E F G H I
For cultural purists, you may prefer this one. The coordinates are lined up
in traditional ways.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 setup: black
1 (j)_(m)_(x)_(s)_(i)_(s)_(x)_(m)_(j) 10 (i): 51 ijang 将
| | | |\ | /| | | | (s): 41, 61 shi 士
2 |___|___|___|__\|/__|___|___|___| 9 (x): 31, 71 xiang 象
| | | | /|\ | | | | (m): 21, 81 ma 马
3 |__(p)__|___|/__|__\|___|__(p)__| 8 (j): 11, 91 ju 车
| | | | | | | | | (p): 23, 83 pao 炮
4 (z)__|__(z)__|__(z)__|__(z)__|__(z) 7 (z): 14, 34 zu 卒
| | | | | | | | | 54, 74, 94
5 |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| 6
| |
6 |_______________________________| 5
| | | | | | | | | SETUP: RED (moves first)
7 (B)__|__(B)__|__(B)__|__(B)__|__(B) 4 (I): 51 shuaI 帅
| | | | | | | | | (S): 41, 61 Shi 仕
8 |__(P)__|___|___|___|___|__(P)__| 3 (X): 31, 71 Xiang 相
| | | |\ | /| | | | (M): 21, 81 Ma 马
9 |___|___|___|__\|/__|___|___|___| 2 (J): 11, 91 Ju 车
| | | | /|\ | | | | (P): 23, 83 Pao 炮
10 (J)_(M)_(X)_(S)_(I)_(S)_(X)_(M)_(J) 1 (B): 14, 34 Bing 兵
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 54, 74, 94
What are the pieces and how do they move?
Each side has the following pieces:
2 Rooks (R) (or chariots)
2 Knights (N) (or horses)
2 Ministers (M) (or bishops or elephants)
2 Guards (G) (or assistants or counselors)
1 King (K) (or generals)
2 Cannons (C)
5 Pawns (P) (or soldiers)
ROOKS
The rooks move and capture as in chess
........k........9
KNIGHTS .................8
The knights move and capture as in chess, with .................7
one important difference: they can be blocked. .................6
Example: if a knight sits on c2 and another piece .................5
(either your own or the opponent's) sits on c3, . river .
the knight cannot move to d4 or b4; but it could .................4
move to b0 or d0 or a1 or e1 or e3. If a knight ....R............3
sits on c2 and another piece is on d2, then it ....N.c..........2
cannot move to e1 or e3. ..............C..1
........K...M....0
a b c d e f g h i
MINISTERS
The ministers can move only two diagonal spaces at a time. They cannot
cross the river (see River below) to the other side of the board. It
captures on the square to which he is moving. A minister on g0 can move
to e2 or i2. If an opposing piece sits on e2, he can capture it.
If his own piece sits on e2, he cannot move there. If he sits on g0 and
another piece sits on h1, he cannot move to i2 because he is blocked.
GUARDS
The guards can move only 1 space diagonally, and cannot leave the
palace (see Palace below). They capture the same way they move.
KING
The king moves as in chess, only he cannot move diagonally, only 1
square vertically or horizontally. The king must remain in the palace.
CANNONS
Cannons move like rooks, as many squares vertically or horizontally as
they want, as long as there is no other piece in the way. However,
cannons capture by jumping over a piece to capture another piece.
Example: a cannon sits on e1; a knight sits on f1 (the piece can belong
to either side); and an opposing rook sits on h1. The cannon could
capture the rook by jumping over the knight. It can only capture by
jumping, and can jump over only one piece. If there were two pieces
between the cannon and the rook, then the rook could not be captured
by that cannon. The cannon cannot jump if it isn't going to capture
something, it must simply move like a rook.
PAWNS
Pawns move 1 square forward (never two, as is possible on the first
move in chess). While the pawn is on its own side of the board, it
captures by moving 1 square forward and taking an opposing piece that
may be sitting there (the pawns don't capture diagonally as in chess).
Once a pawn moves across the river onto the other side of the board,
it acquires an additional power: it can then move 1 square sideways
in addition to being able to move 1 square forward. On the other side
of the board, the pawn could then capture by moving sideways or forward.
The pawn can never move backward. The pawn does not promote when it
reaches the back rank of the opponent--it can then just move sideways.
PALACE
The king and guards cannot leave the palace (except the guards who leave
when they are captured :-) ). If we call the king's starting point
e0, then the palace is defined as these 9 points: d0, e0, f0, d1, e1, f1,
d2, e2, f2.
RIVER
The river is nothing more than an empty space in the middle of the
board dividing the two sides. A piece cannot move into the river--no one
can sit in the river because he would drown. It doesn't count as a space.
The word "river" is not printed on most sets; usually there are some
Chinese characters printed on it. The minister and guard are considered
purely defensive pieces because they cannot cross the river and attack
the opposing king. Once a piece crosses the river, it becomes more
important for attack than defense.
INTERSECTIONS
The pieces move on the intersections of the board, not in the spaces
between them, as in chess.
COLORS
In chess, the player who moves first has the "white" pieces. In Chinese
chess, the player who moves first moves red pieces. The second player's
pieces are usually black or sometimes green or blue.
What are the rules of the game?
Here are some rules to remember:
a) the object of the game is to checkmate or stalemate the opponent.
This is accomplished by:
1. Placing the opponent in check so that he has no legal move
to get out of the check.
2. Stalemating your opponent so that he has no legal move (when you
stalemate your opponent, you win--it is not a draw as in chess).
b) Red usually moves first.
c) You cannot check your opponent indefinitely by moving the same
piece to the same squares (resulting in perpetual check and a draw
in chess). You cannot put the opponent in check more than 3 times
in a row with the same piece without either side moving any other
piece.
d) Similar to the rule above, you cannot indefinitely "chase" an
opposing piece from one square to another if your opponent has no
other way to avoid losing the piece. If you move a rook to e5
threatening a cannon on e6, and your opponent's only move to avoid
capture is to move the cannon to f6, then you cannot keep chasing it
from e6 to f6 by moving from e5 to f5 indefinitely. The idea of
this rule and the rule above is to avoid perpetual check draws.
Some of these situations can be complicated but usually the person
who is initiating the perpetual move loop must break it off.
e) The two kings cannot face each other on the same file. If red's
king is on e1 and black's king is on e9 and there are no pieces
directly between them on the e-file, then that is an illegal
position. If black's king is the only piece on the f-file, then red's
king on the e-file cannot move to the f file.
f) When neither side can capture the opposing king, the game is a draw.
What are the values of the pieces?
Here are some rough values, which of course, can change depending on
the game situation or how skillful a particular player is in maneuvering
a particular piece:
Rook 9
Cannon 4.5
Knight 4
Minister 2
Guard 2
Pawn 2 (after crossing river)
Pawn 1 (before crossing river)
What kind of notation is used?
It seems every writer or organization uses different notation. We are
generally following ICCS notation in the FAQ for compatibility:
the rows are A to I from left to right (from red's viewpoint), and
the files are number 0-9 from bottom of the board to the top. It is
wished (by me, I mean) that all would follow the simple notation used
in XiangQi Review, but that seems an idle dream at this time.
What are some common opening moves?
The Central Cannon is the most popular. Red moves Ch2-e2. Black usually
replies with Ch7-e7 or Nh9-g7 or Nb9-c7.
The Minister's (or Bishop's) opening was popularized by Hu RongHua.
The starting move is Mg0-e2.
Other starting moves are Pc3-1 or Pg3-1 or Nh0-g2.
Are there any proverbs for this game?
* When my opponent's cannon moves to the middle, my knight jumps up
front. (For the most common opening.)
* If a rook is not moved within the first 3 moves, it is dead.
* A pawn is as powerful as a rook after it crosses the river.
Are there any basic guidelines for handicap play?
Rook Odds
The side giving odds as red plays without the left rook. There are 3
"iron" pieces. Red's leftmost pawn, left knight and left cannon can't
be captured unless they've moved.
2 Knights Odds
Red plays without his knights. "Iron" center pawn. Red's center pawn can
be captured only by check & only by the piece giving check.
Knight and Move(s) Odds
The side giving odd plays black and without his left knight; red makes
1 or more moves before black replies (possible red moves--see Moves Odds).
1 Knight Odds
Red plays without his left knight.
4 Plus Moves Odds
The side receiving odds plays red & makes 4 or more moves before black
moves. No pieces except pawns can be moved to the player's own river
edge for these 4 (or more) moves.
3 Moves Odds
The side receiving odds as red makes 3 moves before black replies.
About equal to 1 knight odds. No pieces are allowed to cross the river
during these 3 initial moves.
2 Moves Odds
Side receiving odds as red makes 2 moves.
1 Move Odds
The side receiving odds plays red.
Less Than 1 Move Odds
Half-move odds would be playing 2 games as red & 1 as black.
Agree to the conditions before play begins to avoid disputes.
Giving cannon odds is rare & much harder than giving knight odds.
Can you recommend a few good books?
There are really only 2 books in English that are widely available:
1. Chinese Chess by H.T. Lau.
Basic rules, opening, middle and endgame play. Many exercises.
Material needed to win or draw various endings. Descriptions of
popular opening variations.
2. Chinese Chess for Beginners by Sam Sloan.
English-speaking Chinese chess fans needed a book like this;
unfortunately, Sloan wrote it. Filled with exaggerations & misleading
statements. An alleged "entertaining" writing style that some might
call inept or juvenile. Still, some useful information. The
revised edition contains a few new things & not many corrections.
"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
Other books in English you might find in a library or old book store:
3. Hsiang Ch'i: The Chinese Game of Chess by Terence Donnelly.
4. A Manual of Chinese Chess by Charles Wilkes.
5. The Chess of China by Dennis Leventhal. (A good read, if you find it.)
6. Shang Chi--The Chinese Chess by Chen-Chih Sun.
Can you recommend some magazines?
1. XiangQi Review is the best English language publication. It is
published 6 times a year, usually 20 pages. $10/year in US, or
$15/year overseas. Address is:
Chinese Chess Institute
PO Box 5305
Hercules, CA 94547-5305
2. Chinese Chess Newsletter. Published from England, so focuses on
Europe. The "usual" subscription rate is 10 pounds a year. Not much
on production quality but contains useful news.
C.K. Lai
12 Lagan House
Sumner Rd
London SE15 5RB England
3. Chinese Chess News/Korean Chess. The copy I have is one 8 1/2 by 11
sheet of paper, typewritten on both sides. Some news and addresses
for Chinese chess and information on Korean chess.
David Rockwell
8514 Trumbull Ave
Skokie, IL 60076-2440
Or, if writing from Europe:
Malcolm Horne
10B Windsor Square
Exmouth, Devon
EX8 1JU England
4. Xiangqi Mi Tong Bao. In Italian. Supposedly a slick production
with a professional look to it.
Agostino Guberti
Via Don Gnocchi 20/D
20075 Lodi (Milano), Italy
Where can I buy books?
Chinese Chess for Beginners is published by:
Ishi Press International
76 Bonaventure Dr
San Jose, CA 95134
(408) 944-9900
They may also sell Chinese Chess by H.T. Lau. Otherwise, this book
is published by:
Charles E. Tuttle Co.
PO Box 410
28 S. Main St.
Rutland, VT 05702
800/526-2778
The Chinese Chess Institute sells some books written in Chinese. A
translation guide is provided. A new title is a text devoted to the
games of Lu Qin ($10). They are also working on some things in English
for beginners. See address for XiangQi Review above.
Where can I buy Sets?
From Ishi Press (mentioned above) or The Game Place (mentioned below)
or at your nearest Chinatown (Fat Ming at 903 Grant in San Francisco)
if you live near a large city, or from Chinese grocery & gift shops in
smaller cities.
Is there any software available?
The best software program is Chinese Chessmaster III. But this program
cannot be bought from North America. It originates from Taiwan and is
difficult to buy from North America. There are two programs for DOS:
Uncle Wang, XIAN, and Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess. ICD claims that
Uncle Wang is better than XIAN.
You can get Uncle Wang or XIAN from:
ICD Corp.
21 Walt Whitman Rd
Huntington Station, NY 11746
800/645-4710
$49.95
You may also get XIAN from:
The Game Place
4512 University Way NE Ste. 102
Seattle, WA 98105
800/826-GAME
(We haven't verified that this program is indeed XIAN)
$39.95
A windows version of XIAN is available from:
TSoft
PO Box 3642
Odessa, TX 79760
(915) 366-2168
Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess (the weakest commercial program)
InterPlay Productions
3710 S. Susan, Ste. 100
Santa Ana, CA 92704
(714) 545-9001
$49.95
(Exciting graphics)
For the Macintosh, there is a new shareware program written by Tie Zeng
available on the Internet by ftp. Ftp to: mac.archive.umich.edu.
The program is in the path: /mac/game/board and is called
chinesechesspro1.01.cpt.hqx
There is a shareware DOS Chinese chess program available on the Internet,
but it is very weak. Available via anonymous ftp at:
chess.uoknor.edu in the path: /pub/chess/DOS/chinechs.exe
Are there any clubs where I can find opponents?
Los Angeles Area:
Chinese Chess Association of Los Angeles
539 E. Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
San Francisco Area:
Chinese Chess Association
153-A Waverly Pl
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 391-1236
New York City Area:
The Chinese Chess Confederation is apparently no longer at their
Bowery Street location. Try writing them at:
PO Box 1079, G.P.O.
Brooklyn, NY
Toronto:
Toronto Chinese Chess Association
32 Scott Dr.
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 4C3
(416) 492-7581
Can I play opponents by using my computer?
You can play real time games on the Internet Chinese Chess Server (ICCS).
Telnet to: coolidge.harvard.edu 5555 or 128.103.28.15 5555
Login with a short name & choose your own password. Type "help"
or "help intro" if you're new.
You may also play real time Chinese chess on the Internet Go Server at
hellspark.wharton.upenn.edu 6969. You will probably have to use the
"shout" command to find players since most will be playing go.
Is there a Chinese chess version of the United States Chess Federation?
No. Organization of Chinese chess in the United States lags behind
most other countries, including those in Europe. Also, Europe seems
to enjoy a great deal of cooperation between Asian "experts" and
western "novices," unlike the situation in the US. Chinese chess
"organization" in the US is basically confined to Chinatown clubs,
which are not usually as accessible as the tourist shops. A suggestion
for future development would be to organize Chinese chess activities at
regular chess or go clubs & then try to branch out on your own after a
regular clientele has been established. Perhaps try to find a local
Chinese chess expert who would agree to give a simul or lecture to
drum up interest.
Around 1990, there was an organization called the Vietnamese-American
Chinese Chess Association based in Virginia. They planned to publish
some books on the game in English; however, apparently nothing was
produced and recent attempts to contact this organization have failed,
so they must be considered defunct at this time.
Who are some of the strongest players around the world?
Most of the strongest players live in China. Here are the Chinese
National Ratings for the first half of 1993:
MEN:
Lu Qin 2556 (Has won 5 Ram Cup 5 years in a row)
Zhao GuoRong 2534 (Two-time Chinese National Champion--1990 & 1992)
Hu RongHua 2524 (Greatest player in Chinese chess history?)
Li LaiQun 2510 (Current holder of QiWang [Chess King] title)
Xu TianHong 2502 (Won Third World Cup in Beijing in April)
Liu DaHua 2468 (Won Chinese National title in 1980 & 1981)
Yu YouHua 2460
Lin HongMin 2451
Xu YinChuan 2437 (18-year-old just won 1993 Chinese National title)
WOMEN:
Xie Siming 2418 (Inactive)
Hu Ming 2345 (Has won women's title 3 years in a row)
Shan XiaLi 2324
Huang YuYing 2285 (Inactive)
Huang ZiJun 2276 (Inactive)
OTHER COUNTRIES
Taiwan
Wu KuiLin
Liang JinYi
Hong Kong
Chiu YuKuen
Vietnam
Mei QingMing
Japan
Shen Hao (formerly of Shanghai)
Singapore
Lee KhengSoi
Teo SimHua
Thailand
Ma WuLian
Malaysia
Li JiaQing
Chieng KuokWu
Chen JieYu
Indonesia
Ifan ChungMing
Germany
Huebner Robert (GM of chess)
Siewert Hans-Joachim
Italy
Yu JianGuo
Hu YunXi
Nastasio Davide
Guberti Agostino
USA
Lee Michael
Gong Fan
Chien Chi
Yan TatSun
Ng Hak Lok
Canada
Der Lawrence
Yu Chou Jen
Li Chung