Does anyone know Chinese chess?

Elephant Chess or Chinese Chess is rather similar to Chess, u can clearly see the common origins.

I learned it as a teenager many moons ago, but only played with one other person a few times. I recently played a couple of games with a friend at a bar, and it was fun playing a game u know next to nothing about other than the moves. We had fun.

The goal is to basically checkmate the Emperor, and keep in mind there always has to be a piece between them even though they both live in their far apart palaces they cannot leave. They have each have 2 limited diagonal moving guards that are also stuck in the castle. The bishop equivalent, is purely defensive as he cannot cross the river in the middle of the board. The Knight moves like the Western knight with an exception. He can only jump over pieces a square away, pieces just next to him block his foreleg and he cannot jump. There is a rook that is the same, basic pawn equivalents, and an artillery piece which moves like a rook but needs a piece in between it and what it is attack to shoot over and kill. I think it is more defensive in some ways, and perhaps not as exciting without a queen but with its own unique qualities. Definitely learning and playing it would be fun for many Chess players. A nice change. Similar but different. Shogi is Japanese and while also similar in some ways is even more unique with being able to return captured pieces to fight for you. Elephant Chess in its traditional format does have u learn Chinese characters but it really is not difficult.
Any one want to play?

It's not actually called "elephant chess", xiangqi just means chess and the 象piece has a different meaning than the 象in象棋. Also the game isn't less exciting without queens, it's not missing anything, it's only less exciting if players don't develop pieces. Also I wouldn't be sure chinese chess comes from chess, I tried to find the history of the game and I heard a historian say in the Song dynasty three revisions came to Chinese chess ( the same time period where history of chess textbooks say chess came to china and became chinese chess) and in it, the chinese historian says 1. The addition of cannons to commemorate the invention of gunpowder 2. The palace, elephants and advisors were added 3. The pieces, which were once figures and carvings of the infantry, were standardized as disks with calligraphy for Chinese characters. So, it seems to me that the elephant and advisor came across the silk road from india, and were incorporated into a more ancient game that became chinese chess. However, it seems impossible to refute or prove anything since neither side ever mentions the other's writing

Good observation about the Elephant. I was aware about the difficulties with the name. But as it is referred to as Elephant chess, it seems appropriate to mention it, and the corresponding piece. But I do defer to your greater knowledge. Regarding the origins of the game, and all the ins and outs probably shrouded in time. But I do think like a finger print it obviously shares some of the original origins as modern Chess. The layout, pieces and rules are just too close to simply believe they developed totally independantly. My guess is if the origin of Chess is really India it went two directions. I accept it has its own logic and excitement. But the Queen is a very dynamic piece Chinese Chess lacks. Take it for what u will. Thanks for your insights.

There aren't any difficulties with the name, 象棋 means chess, the reason this game with bishops & knights is not called the same thing as the game with chariots & horses is because it would be really unclear. That's why here xiangqi is called chinese chess, and chess is called chess. But in China Xiangqi is called chess, and chess is called International chess 国际象棋 ( guo ji xiangqi ). Any place that calls it elephant chess is either a fun translation or someone who really doesn't know about the game and translated it that way, like wikipedia. Xiang 象 can also mean ivory, figurines, silhouettes/statues

Also, xiangqi is it's own game. It's good the way it is, any players can make their own pieces or rules and add them to any board game they play, but this original version of xiangqi doesn't lack a queen. It doesn't lack anything, the only reason you think it lacks a queen is because you're looking at it from a chess perspective, you're not seeing it as it's own separate game but a version of chess without queens and different pieces, so you feel it's missing something. But xiangqi is it's own separate game that people enjoy.

I also didn't say it developed totally independently. I said xiangqi doesn't descend from chess. First of all, chess comes from chaturanga, and a chaturanga variant called chaturaji also exists which I think is a four player version. Now, for xiangqi. 六博 liu bo is a game that comes from ancient china, where people throw six chopsticks into a bowl representing six pieces, the chopsticks you make it into that bowl are the pieces you get to move that turn, which are a king & five soldiers, but nobody knows why they move, how, or where. They just have an ancient board-map in a museum in China. The only part in Chinese chess history that suggests influence from chess is the elephant & advisor . People have a tendency to create board games based on things they like or think are cool. Turn by turn games don't specifically have to descend from the same place, and the similarity you're seeing is just the palace and not the whole game

@crankydragon said [^](/forum/redirect/post/x4ys1LzN) > > > Elephant Chess or Chinese Chess is rather similar to Chess, u can clearly see the common origins. > > > > > > I learned it as a teenager many moons ago, but only played with one other person a few times. I recently played a couple of games with a friend at a bar, and it was fun playing a game u know next to nothing about other than the moves. We had fun. > > > > > > The goal is to basically checkmate the Emperor, and keep in mind there always has to be a piece between them even though they both live in their far apart palaces they cannot leave. They have each have 2 limited diagonal moving guards that are also stuck in the castle. The bishop equivalent, is purely defensive as he cannot cross the river in the middle of the board. The Knight moves like the Western knight with an exception. He can only jump over pieces a square away, pieces just next to him block his foreleg and he cannot jump. There is a rook that is the same, basic pawn equivalents, and an artillery piece which moves like a rook but needs a piece in between it and what it is attack to shoot over and kill. I think it is more defensive in some ways, and perhaps not as exciting without a queen but with its own unique qualities. Definitely learning and playing it would be fun for many Chess players. A nice change. Similar but different. Shogi is Japanese and while also similar in some ways is even more unique with being able to return captured pieces to fight for you. Elephant Chess in its traditional format does have u learn Chinese characters but it really is not difficult. > > > Any one want to play? > > > > It's not actually called "elephant chess", xiangqi just means chess and the 象piece has a different meaning than the 象in象棋. Also the game isn't less exciting without queens, it's not missing anything, it's only less exciting if players don't develop pieces. Also I wouldn't be sure chinese chess comes from chess, I tried to find the history of the game and I heard a historian say in the Song dynasty three revisions came to Chinese chess ( the same time period where history of chess textbooks say chess came to china and became chinese chess) and in it, the chinese historian says 1. The addition of cannons to commemorate the invention of gunpowder 2. The palace, elephants and advisors were added 3. The pieces, which were once figures and carvings of the infantry, were standardized as disks with calligraphy for Chinese characters. So, it seems to me that the elephant and advisor came across the silk road from india, and were incorporated into a more ancient game that became chinese chess. However, it seems impossible to refute or prove anything since neither side ever mentions the other's writing > > Good observation about the Elephant. I was aware about the difficulties with the name. But as it is referred to as Elephant chess, it seems appropriate to mention it, and the corresponding piece. But I do defer to your greater knowledge. Regarding the origins of the game, and all the ins and outs probably shrouded in time. But I do think like a finger print it obviously shares some of the original origins as modern Chess. The layout, pieces and rules are just too close to simply believe they developed totally independantly. My guess is if the origin of Chess is really India it went two directions. I accept it has its own logic and excitement. But the Queen is a very dynamic piece Chinese Chess lacks. Take it for what u will. Thanks for your insights. There aren't any difficulties with the name, 象棋 means chess, the reason this game with bishops & knights is not called the same thing as the game with chariots & horses is because it would be really unclear. That's why here xiangqi is called chinese chess, and chess is called chess. But in China Xiangqi is called chess, and chess is called International chess 国际象棋 ( guo ji xiangqi ). Any place that calls it elephant chess is either a fun translation or someone who really doesn't know about the game and translated it that way, like wikipedia. Xiang 象 can also mean ivory, figurines, silhouettes/statues Also, xiangqi is it's own game. It's good the way it is, any players can make their own pieces or rules and add them to any board game they play, but this original version of xiangqi doesn't lack a queen. It doesn't lack anything, the only reason you think it lacks a queen is because you're looking at it from a chess perspective, you're not seeing it as it's own separate game but a version of chess without queens and different pieces, so you feel it's missing something. But xiangqi is it's own separate game that people enjoy. I also didn't say it developed totally independently. I said xiangqi doesn't descend from chess. First of all, chess comes from chaturanga, and a chaturanga variant called chaturaji also exists which I think is a four player version. Now, for xiangqi. 六博 liu bo is a game that comes from ancient china, where people throw six chopsticks into a bowl representing six pieces, the chopsticks you make it into that bowl are the pieces you get to move that turn, which are a king & five soldiers, but nobody knows why they move, how, or where. They just have an ancient board-map in a museum in China. The only part in Chinese chess history that suggests influence from chess is the elephant & advisor . People have a tendency to create board games based on things they like or think are cool. Turn by turn games don't specifically have to descend from the same place, and the similarity you're seeing is just the palace and not the whole game

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