Xiangqi

I have bought Xiangqi. I didn’t know this game but I was seduced by the name on the dark purple box and the strange symbols on the pieces.

Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese game in a family of strategic board games of which Western chess, Indian chaturanga, Japanese shogi, and the more similar Korean janggi are also members. Xiangqi is native to China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess. The first character 象 xiàng here has the meaning “image” or “representational”, hence Xiangqi can be literally translated as “representational chess”. The second character, 棋, is a general term also used in the name 西洋棋 xīyáng qí — “Western chess”.

Chinese chess 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 4th century BC in China.

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.

Further reading

• World Xiangqi Federation homepage
• Introduction and rules