Chinese Chess - Xiangqi

Chinese chess is a strategy board game and one of the most popular board games in China, and is in the same family as Western (or international) chess.

The game represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemys general (king). Distinctive features of xiangqi include the cannon (pao), which must jump to capture; a rule prohibiting the generals from facing each other directly; areas on the board called the river and palace, which restrict the movement of some pieces (but enhance that of others); and placement of the pieces on the intersections of the board lines, rather than within the squares.

How to play

The pieces start in the position shown in the diagram above. Which player moves first has varied throughout history and from one part of China to another. Different xiangqi books advise either that the black or red side moves first.[citation needed] Some books refer to the two sides as north and south; which direction corresponds to which color also varies from source to source. Generally, Red moves first in most modern tournaments.

Each player in turn moves one piece from the point it occupies to another point. Pieces are generally 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 soldier is able to move sideways after it crosses the river. Almost all pieces capture using their normal moves, while the cannon has a special capture move described below. An instance of checkmate that assumes the cannon is safe and Black cannot block the check. The horse is not needed for this checkmate.

The game ends when one player captures the others general. When the general is in danger of being captured by the enemy player on his next move, the enemy player has "delivered a check", and the general is "in check". A check should be announced. If the generals player can make no move to prevent the generals capture, the situation is called "checkmate". Unlike chess, in which a stalemate is a draw, in xiangqi, a player with no legal moves left loses.

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