Game of Chinese chess. Chinese chess game rules

Probably, calling this ancient and wise game “Chinese chess” is as absurd as calling backgammon “Persian chess.” It would be more correct to assume that the Chinese themselves, in order to adapt and popularize Xiangqi in the Western world, designate it in the English version as “Chinese Chess”.

Today Xiangqi is the most popular game in the world. . It is played not only by residents of China, but also of Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines... And the population of these countries, as you know, makes up more than 20% of all the inhabitants of the Earth. So we can say with confidence that more people play Xiangqi than any other type of chess - after all, the number of people who play Xiangqi at least occasionally is at least 500 million people.

In recent years, the game of Xiangqi has become increasingly popular throughout the world. Asian (regional) and International competitions are constantly held. Numerous reports about these competitions can be found on the Internet.

Xiangqi is an integral part of Chinese life, this game reflects the history of China and the mentality of the Chinese, and therefore, without getting acquainted with Xiangqi, knowledge of China will be incomplete.

There are two theories about the origin of this game:

1) Xiangqi originates from Indian chess;

2) Xiangqi arose independently long before the new era.

The theories of the first group are supported by the fact that Xiangqi has a number of common features with Shatranj (Arab-Persian chess), which originates from chaturanga, an ancient Indian chess game.

However, it is known that even in ancient times, long before the appearance of chaturanga (and this happened in the 5th century), there were board logic games in China (in particular, a game called “LuBo”), the features of which can be traced in xiangqi. The first reliable mention of xiangqi dates back to the 8th century.

According to modern research, the game Xiangqi originated from the ancient game LuBo 3500 years ago. . In the original version of LuBo, each player had only 6 pieces: 1 general and 5 pawns. The number of moves was determined using a die. Subsequently, the game was transformed. Having gone through many names, losing a die, but gaining several pieces, by the 12th century the game had turned into a semblance of modern Xiangqi.

During the reign of the Zhou Dynasty (1134 - 256 BC), three concepts are already found in the description of the game LuBo: Zhou (Zhuo), Qi (Qi) and Ju (Ju).

Zhuo is a dice , it is made of bamboo (exactly the same bamboo dice are used in China to this day in dice games). These bones were used to determine the number of steps the figure took - Qi. The Qi figures themselves were made of ivory, so even then this game was called Xiang Qi - Xiangqi, which means “ivory figure”. In those days, among the Qi units there was one general and five warriors (pawns). Ju is a rectangular battlefield or simply a game board.

Rules of the game LuBo

According to the rules of the game, LuBo needed to capture the enemy general . In modern Xiangqi, just like in LiuBo, there is one general and five pawns, and victory is ensured by conquering the general. The difference from LuBo is that the moves of modern Xiangqi are not determined by throwing a dice. Xiangqi also contains a larger number of figures.

In Xiangqi, as in European chess, the board has 64 squares, each player has 16 pieces, of which one is the main one, and with its death the game is lost.

The first rule of Xiangqi – The goal of the game is to defeat the enemy or put him in a hopeless position. This is considered completed if:

A. The opponent's king is in check so that he has no legal move to get out of this check.
B. Stymiing your opponent so that he has no legal move, that is, none of the opponent's remaining pieces can make a move - and this is not a draw, but your complete victory!

A stalemate in Xiangqi is not a draw; the one who ends up in a stalemate is considered a loss. A whole series of game endings in Xiangqi are based on winning by stalemate.

Second rule - Reds always go first.

Third rule– You cannot give a perpetual check with the position repeated more than three times in a row. The one who gives such a check for the fourth time is considered defeated. In this case, the attacked side is not obliged to change moves; moreover, the fourth repetition will bring it victory.
You cannot give a repeated check that is interrupted by a move that prepares for checkmate on the next move.

Fourth rule (similar to the third), it concerns the eternal threat to any piece other than the King - You cannot repeat the move of chasing an opponent’s piece indefinitely if he has no other way to avoid losing that piece.

Example - if you moved the Rook to e5, threatening the Cannon on e6, the enemy, in order to avoid loss, moved the cannon to f6. Then you continued to pursue the Cannon with your Rook, moving from e5 to f5. The Cannon again, evading the threat, returned to e5. And then the same moves are repeated. Some of these situations can be more complex, but usually the person who starts the endless turn loop is obligated to stop it.

If such pursuit is carried out with a repetition of the position, then the game ends on the fourth repetition. However, there is a discrepancy in the rules: in China in this case it is considered a draw, but outside China (for example in Hong Kong) this prohibition does not differ from the previous ones and the attacker loses for the fourth time.

Fifth rule (it was mentioned earlier) – Two Kings cannot be on the same open file.

Sixth rule– When neither side can create a checkmate or stalemate threat to the opposing King, the game is declared a draw.

Initial arrangement of figures in Xiangqi

Main commanders – Shuai and Jiang . The commander bears full responsibility for the outcome of the battle. “King of Battle” is what his subordinates call the general. Therefore, for simplicity, we will henceforth call them Kings. At the beginning of the game, Shuai stands on the e1 square, and Jiang stands on the e10 square.

King

The king in Xiangqi can only move within the fortress. A move is made to an adjacent field vertically or horizontally.

IN Xiangqi has a very important open file rule: both Kings cannot simultaneously stand on the same file if there are no other pieces between the Kings. Therefore, the King can also be an attacking piece, which undoubtedly is of especially great importance at the end of the game, when there are few pieces left on the board. The King can also push the enemy King to the side of the fortress to end the game with victory, or protect his pieces from the opposing King at any stage of the game.

Bodyguard

Each player has two such pieces, they stand to the right and left of the king. Like the king, they have no right to go outside the palace. They walk to the neighboring field along the drawn diagonals. While the king has access to all the fields of the palace, the bodyguards are depicted in circles, which well reflects the purpose of these figures - to protect the king, because the circle is a round shield.

Moreover, this image, being simple and pleasing to the eye, reminds us of the image of gold in shogi, and the bodyguard and gold are related, since the second is derived from the first.

The Chinese call a bodyguard “shi”, this word has a number of meanings: warrior, guardsman, bodyguard; scientist, sage; noble person; advisor. The bodyguard moves like a queen in shatranj (Arab medieval chess), but with one difference: the latter could move all over the board.

Elephant

Red bishops are on c1 and g1, black bishops are on c10 and g10. Red and black elephants are designated by different hieroglyphs, but are pronounced the same (if we ignore tonal differences) - xiang.

The bishop moves diagonally across one square if it is free . The elephant in Xiangqi is very similar to the elephant in Shatranj, but there are two differences: in Xiangqi, elephants cannot cross the river, but elephants in Shatranj could walk along the chessboard from edge to edge; In Shatranj, the elephant could jump over the pieces, but Chinese elephants cannot do this.

From the initial position, the red bishop on c1 can move to a3 and e3, but if there is any piece on d2, then the move to e3 will become impossible (blocked). Likewise, any piece on b2 blocks the move to a3. The elephant has only seven fields available to him. And even if the elephants could cross the river, they would have access to 12 squares out of 90 squares on the board. Let us note one more curious fact: if the elephants in Xiangqi could cross the river, then the red and black elephants could not beat each other, just as the white and black elephants of the Shatranj could not beat each other.

The same is true for the bodyguards: if they were released from the palace and given freedom of movement across the entire board, then the red and black bodyguards would be invulnerable to each other (and here there is an analogy with Shatranj: the black and white queens of Shatranj could not attack one another ).

Horse

In Xiangqi, knights are almost complete analogues of pieces with the same name in ordinary chess , they not only stand in their usual places (next to the corners of the board in the first row), but also move almost like “our” horses.

Their movement consists of two segments. First, the Knight will move to one field along the line, like a King, and then diagonally to an adjacent field, like an Adjutant. But if the field through which the Horse passes the first half of its move is occupied, then the Horse can no longer move in this direction, since the Chinese Horse cannot jump over a piece standing in its path. Therefore, the Horse often finds itself blocked. Well, in general, the entire battlefield is available to Horses.

War Chariot – Che

Its terrifying actions along straight horizontal and vertical lines are not limited and resemble the movements of the rook in traditional chess. Russian princes transported their troops along waterways - that’s why in chess the beautiful name “Rook” took root for this piece.

The deep south of China was developed by the Chinese emperors much later than the north with its dry steppes and plateaus barely covered with greenery; you cannot sail across them in a canoe, so in Xiangqi there is a “war chariot” that crushes the enemy, flying at him at full gallop, and in the future we will still accept the name for this figure – Rook.

Pawn

While the number of kings, bishops, knights and rooks in “our” and Chinese chess is the same, There are fewer pawns in Xiangqi, only five, And At the beginning of the game they stand not shoulder to shoulder, but across the free field.

Like kings and bishops, pawns for red and black are designated by different hieroglyphs, which are read differently: a red pawn is bin, a black pawn is tzu. Until the pawn crosses the river, it moves and shoots only forward to the adjacent square vertically. Those. Before crossing the river, the Chinese pawn acts like the Japanese pawn. In Xiangqi, the pawn does not transform into another piece, but after crossing the river, it becomes stronger and can move and shoot not only forward, but also horizontally to the right and left to the adjacent square. Under no circumstances may a pawn retreat.

A gun

The most exotic Xiangqi figure – the cannon – has been left for last. Two cannons are in the middle row. The initial “artillery” positions of the sides are as follows: red cannons – b3, h3, black cannons – b8, h8. Until the cannon attacks, i.e. until it hits or checks, it acts exactly the same as a rook. But in order to capture or check, another figure must stand between the cannon and its victim, no matter what, called very figuratively - a gun carriage. The carriage, the cannon and its victim must be located on a vertical or horizontal straight line.

And it attacks only with a “shot” through a figure standing on its horizontal or vertical . That is, in order to capture an enemy piece or a check, another piece must stand between the cannon and its victim, no matter which piece. This means that the Cannon makes a simple move like a Rook, and performs a shock move through any piece, jumping over it. A check occurs when there is only one piece of any kind between the different-colored Cannon and the King. Any Cannon can beat the Knight as the first move in the game, but usually it does not do this, since the Cannon is immediately beaten by the Rook, and at the beginning of the game the cannon is usually stronger than the knight.

Evaluation of pieces in the game

In Xiangqi, the following value of figures is accepted according to their significance. Although, of course, these estimates may change depending on the situation in the game, and the player himself can evaluate them individually in a certain situation:

Rook 9
Gun 4.5
Horse 4
Elephant 2
Adjutant 2
Pawn (after crossing the river) 2
Pawn (before crossing the river) 1

In China itself, the popularity of European chess is currently growing steadily , as is the popularity of Chinese Xiangqi chess throughout the rest of the world , including in Russia. Let us point out, for example, that amateur Xiangqi tournaments have been held in Moscow for several years, and the Russian Chinese Chess Federation was recently created.

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In the 11th century, Sima Guang, the famous historian and first minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, invented a new game. He called the game “Seven States Competition.” The name Qiguo Xiangqi (七國象戲) can also be translated as the military theater of seven states. The Go board featured seven armies, illustrating the Warring States era. Later, the scientist Pei Qixi found a record of the rules of this game and carved them on wooden blocks for imprinting on paper. So in the 13th century the first edition of the rules of this game appeared.

Each army includes the following figures:

1 Ruler - moves like a queen in chess.
1 General - moves like a rook
1 Officer - walks like an elephant.
1 Diplomat - moves like a queen, but cannot capture other pieces, nor can he be captured.
1 Catapult - moves like a rook, but pieces are captured only if there is one piece, one’s own or someone else’s, between it and the piece being attacked.
1 Archer - moves like a queen, but only four steps. Cannot jump over pieces.
1 Crossbowman - walks like a queen, but only 5 steps. Cannot jump over pieces.
2 Swordsmen - walk one step diagonally.
4 Heavy Swordsmen - walk one step vertically or horizontally.
4 Horsemen - walk four steps: 1 in a straight line and three diagonally. Cannot jump over pieces.

The diplomat is at the head of the army, and the ruler is between the general and the officer on the first line. The general is on the left, and the officer is on the right (red army) According to the author of the rules of the game of the 13th century, they have the following values: archer, crossbowman, swordsman and heavy swordsman 1; horseman 2; catapult 3; officer 4; general 5.

The disposition of the armies corresponds to the geography of Ancient China.

Qin - white army

Yan - black army

Zhao - purple army

Wei - green army

Qi - blue army

Han - orange army

Chu - Red Army.

In the center stands the emperor of the fading Zhou dynasty. It does not participate in the game and cannot be captured. The winner in the game is the one who captures the largest number of enemy troops.

If there are seven players, then each plays for one kingdom. If there are six players, then one takes Qin and the second kingdom into the alliance. With five players, the second alliance is Chu and the second kingdom. If there are four players, then a third alliance is created - the kingdom of Qi with another free kingdom. If there are three players, then Qin takes two kingdoms into the alliance.

If there are 7 people playing, then alliances are established between the players during the game. Allied kingdoms are controlled by players independently. But everyone must take an oath: “If one of the kingdoms perishes, it will only be due to my carelessness!” The alliance cannot be canceled until the end of the game. If a player forces an ally to attack an enemy's fortified position, he must drink a cup of wine or beer as punishment.

Moves are made counterclockwise. The first move is made by the western kingdom of Qin - white. You can't walk over. Cancellation of a move can be permitted by mutual agreement and is accompanied by a fine - a cup of wine. If a player attacks an ally, then the ally's entire army loses and is removed from the board.

The player defeats another kingdom by capturing the ruler. You can also defeat a kingdom by capturing more than ten pieces from it. If the player himself loses more than ten pieces, then his army is removed from the board.

At the end of the game, the one who has captured the most pieces wins. The winner drinks specially prepared wine, then the losers drink it. If at the same time the player captured two rulers or more than 30 pieces, then he is declared hegemon. All other kingdoms recognize his power and drink in the second round.

Francois Boucher and China

Scenes from the life of the peoples of the East, especially China, fascinated Francois Boucher, as did his contemporaries, aristocrats and bourgeois of the Rococo era. It is known that he collected objects of oriental life. They were subsequently offered at the sale of his art collection in 1771. Art critics speculate where Boucher could have borrowed Chinese subjects from. These could be illustrated guidebooks created after scientific expeditions (for example, a French edition of 1665 describing the journey of the Dutch expedition to the East), drawings by Jesuit missionaries (for example, drawings by the Jesuit Jean Denis Attire, who visited China), collections of prints depicting costumes peoples of eastern countries, theatrical performances based on oriental subjects.

Boucher himself created engravings based on other people’s drawings on Chinese subjects. In 1730-1731, Boucher executed twelve sheets in engraving based on drawings by Antoine Watteau. Then, between 1738 and 1745, he worked on twelve “Chinese” etchings for a collection published by Gabriel Huquier (French) Russian. In 1754, he created the scenery for the ballet “Chinese Holidays” by composer Jean-Georges Noverre, which was staged at the Théâtre de la Foire. Boucher's most significant work in the "Chinese style" was the designs for tapestries, created for the Royal Tapestry Manufactory of Beauvais. They were demonstrated at the Salon of 1742, and Gabriel Huquier used them to produce a series of prints of everyday scenes: holidays, receptions, dances in the house of the Chinese emperor, the gardens of the imperial palace, fishing scenes.

The artist's background landscape is quite simple. Denis Diderot characterized such landscapes by Boucher as follows:

“... all his landscapes are so gray in color and so monotonous in tone that at a distance of two steps his canvas can be mistaken for a piece of lawn or rectangular beds of parsley.”

• Content
• The history of creation and fate of the engraving
• Francois Boucher and China

Xiangchi: Chinese chess

material reprinted from the site www.narod.ru

There are different points of view regarding the origin of Chinese chess. Basically they come down to two options: Chinese chess arose independently of others long before the new era; Chinese chess arose in the 6th-8th centuries AD from the chess of the Indian (Western) group. Currently, most researchers are inclined to the second theory. But even before the penetration of chess from India or another western (relative to China) country, the Chinese already had national chess-type games with pieces bearing the names of celestial bodies (celestial or astronomical chess). And although modern Chinese chess mainly owes its birth to chess of Indian origin, it was still influenced by ancient Chinese chess, so Xiangqi is a hybrid of both directions, and the first theory is also true to some extent. It is possible that more people play Xiangqi than any other type of chess - after all, the number of people who play Xiangqi at least occasionally is at least 500 million people. The number of regular players exceeds 100 million people. Currently, Xiangqi has found a second wind and is entering the international arena. Since 1980, the Asian Xiangqi Cup has been held once every two years.

How to play this game:

Let us now move on to a description of the rules of the game. If we give the game a purely verbal brief description, it may seem that Chinese and international chess are very similar. Indeed, in both, the number of board squares and the number of pieces are the same - 64 squares, each player has 16 pieces. The “eaten” pieces do not return to the board, only the pawn gets a “promotion” - all this brings Xiangqi and international chess closer together. But in fact, there are almost more differences between Xiangqi and chess than similarities. Let's take a look at the initial arrangement of the figures shown in the figure. Two features are immediately noticeable.

The first is that the figures do not stand inside the squares, but at the intersection points of vertical and horizontal lines. It is these points that are the fields of the board, as in Go or Renju. The number of fields on a Chinese chessboard is 90, which is almost one and a half times the number of fields on a regular board.
The second feature is the complexity of the Chinese board. It resembles a map. In the middle we see a strip where the verticals are interrupted. This strip is called the border or heavenly river, but more often - just a river. The Chinese call the Milky Way the Heavenly River, and it is very possible that the river on the Chinese chessboard is part of the inheritance from ancient Chinese astronomical chess. At the extreme horizontal lines we see two large squares with drawn diagonals. These are palaces. Each palace consists of 9 fields or four small squares. Palaces are sometimes called fortresses or headquarters. The purpose of the river and palaces will be discussed below.
Figures in Xiangqi are flat round checkers on which the names of the figures are written in hieroglyphs. The colors of the figures are red and black. More precisely, these are not the colors of the figures themselves, but the hieroglyphs on them.
Moves in Xiangqi are made alternately with red and black, one move at a time. You can move either to a free field or to a field occupied by someone else's piece. In the latter case, this piece is beaten - removed from the board and no longer participates in the game. Winning in Xiangqi is possible by checkmate, stalemate, or if the opponent violates the rules.
When choosing symbols for figures instead of hieroglyphic designations, we will proceed from the same principles as for shogi, i.e. if there are analogues in chess, then the usual symbol is taken, otherwise new notations will be introduced, as simple and logical as possible. To designate the fields of the board, we will use European notation, because Chinese notation is too unusual for us. The Chinese designate verticals with numbers, with each player having their own reference point on the right, and the position of the figure on the indicated vertical is described in words.
Nowadays it is customary to start the game with red. Below is a description of the figures.

King
As a matter of fact, this figure is translated from Chinese as commander. By naming the main figure this way, the Chinese eliminated an unacceptable situation for them - the presence of two monarchs on the board, which was seen as a hidden call for rebellion against the only legitimate monarch. In the Chinese, the red and black kings are designated by different hieroglyphs, which are pronounced differently: for the red ones - shuai, for the black ones - Jiang. The king moves only within the palace to the adjacent field vertically and horizontally. In Xiangqi, there is a very important rule of the open file, which turns the king into an attacking piece, although he is a prisoner of the palace: both kings cannot simultaneously stand on the same file if there are no other pieces between the kings. We will also call this rule the rule of opposition (for the sake of brevity). In the endgame, it allows you to push the enemy king to the side of the palace, where he is easily mated or stagnated, or create pins at any stage of the game. At the beginning of the game, Shuai is on the e1 square, and Jiang is on the e10 square. We will use the usual abbreviated designation for the king - Kr.

Bodyguard
Each player has two such pieces, they stand to the right and left of the king. Like the king, they have no right to go outside the palace. They walk to the neighboring field along the drawn diagonals. While the king has access to all the fields of the palace, the bodyguards are depicted in circles, which well reflects the purpose of these figures - to protect the king, because the circle is a round shield. Moreover, this image, being simple and pleasing to the eye, reminds us of the image of gold in shogi, and the bodyguard and gold are related, since the second is derived from the first. The Chinese call a bodyguard "shi", this word has a number of meanings: warrior, guardsman, bodyguard; scientist, sage; noble person; advisor. The bodyguard moves like a queen in shatranj (Arab medieval chess), but with one difference: the latter could move all over the board. In short, we will denote the bodyguard T. Sometimes it is proposed to call this piece a queen and denote it F, but it is very different from the queen we are used to, and therefore we discard this option.

Elephant
Red bishops are on c1 and g1, black bishops are on c10 and g10. Red and black elephants are designated by different hieroglyphs, but are pronounced the same (if we ignore tonal differences) - xiang. The meanings of both hieroglyphs overlap: the hieroglyph for black elephant means elephant. And also a figure, and the hieroglyph for a red elephant is only a figure. The hieroglyph depicting a black elephant comes first in the name of Chinese chess - xiangqi, and the second hieroglyph in this word means "game". Therefore, xiangqi is translated either as the game of elephants or as the game of pieces. Sometimes this interpretation is given - playing with ivory pieces.
The bishop moves diagonally across one square if it is free. The elephant in Xiangqi is very similar to the elephant in Shatranj, but there are two differences: in Xiangqi, elephants cannot cross the river, but elephants in Shatranj could walk along the chessboard from edge to edge; In Shatranj, the elephant could jump over the pieces, but Chinese elephants cannot do this. From the initial position, the red bishop on c1 can move to a3 and e3, but if there is any piece on d2, then the move to e3 will become impossible (blocked). Likewise, any piece on b2 blocks the move to a3. The elephant has only seven fields available to him. And even if the elephants could cross the river, they would have access to 12 squares out of 90 squares on the board. Let us note one more curious fact: if the elephants in Xiangqi could cross the river, then the red and black elephants could not beat each other, just as the white and black elephants of the Shatranj could not beat each other. By the way, the same is true for the bodyguards: if they are released from the palace and given freedom of movement across the entire board, then the red and black bodyguards will be invulnerable to each other (and here there is an analogy with Shatranj: the black and white queens of Shatranj could not attack alone to another). Although the bishop has an analogue in international chess, there is a very strong difference between them, and therefore it is better to depict it in a non-European way. We will abbreviate it in exactly the same way as the European or international chess bishop, i.e. WITH.

Horse
In Xiangqi, knights are almost complete analogues of pieces with the same name in ordinary chess; they not only stand in their usual places (near the corners of the board in the first row), but also move almost like “our” knights. The Chinese knight can move in any direction and all over the board, but like the bishop, it cannot jump over pieces. Let's clarify what trajectory the horse moves in xiangqi in order to understand when it can be blocked.
The end points of the knight's path in European and Chinese chess are the same, but in Xiangqi the knight does not move in the letter G; the Chinese knight's move consists of two steps: the first - to an adjacent square horizontally or vertically (like a king) and the second - diagonally to an adjacent square (like a bodyguard). Any piece standing at the breaking point of the knight's move (i.e. at the junction of both steps) blocks the knight, or, as the Chinese say, ties the knight's legs. For clarification, let's take the starting position. The knight on h1 can move to g3 and i3, but cannot move to f2, because he is blocked by the bishop on g1. Due to the almost complete identity of Chinese and European chess knights, we retain the usual image for the knight in Xiangqi in diagrams and the usual abbreviation in records of games and positions (K). The Chinese call a chess knight "ma", which means knight or horse.

Rook
The only piece in Xiangqi that, without any exception, moves the way we are used to is the rook. Naturally, we take both the symbol on the diagram and the abbreviated designation for it from international chess, namely the drawing of a fortress tower and the letter L. The Chinese call the rook “ju”, which means chariot, and sometimes even more simply, “che” - a wagon or cart .

Pawn
While the number of kings, bishops, knights and rooks in “our” and Chinese chess is the same, there are fewer pawns in Xiangqi, only five, and at the beginning of the game they stand not shoulder to shoulder, but across an empty square. Like kings and bishops, pawns for red and black are designated by different hieroglyphs, which are read differently: a red pawn is bin, a black pawn is tzu. Until the pawn crosses the river, it moves and shoots only forward to the adjacent square vertically. Those. Before crossing the river, the Chinese pawn acts like the Japanese pawn. In Xiangqi, the pawn does not transform into another piece, but after crossing the river, it becomes stronger and can move and shoot not only forward, but also horizontally to the right and left to the adjacent square. Under no circumstances may a pawn retreat. We will denote a pawn on the diagram with a regular symbol, and we will abbreviate it with the letter “p”, i.e. same as usual. However, we will also apply another common rule: when indicating a pawn's moves, the letter "p" can be omitted.

A gun
The most exotic Xiangqi figure – the cannon – has been left for last. Two cannons are in the middle row. The initial "artillery" positions of the sides are as follows: red cannons - b3, h3, black cannons - b8, h8. Until the cannon attacks, i.e. until it hits or checks, it acts exactly the same as a rook. But in order to capture or check, another figure must stand between the cannon and its victim, no matter what, called very figuratively - a gun carriage. The carriage, the cannon and its victim must be located on a vertical or horizontal straight line.
The cannon is the only figure in Xiangqi that can jump, although only during a striking move, and is also the only figure that hits differently from walking. For the cannon symbol in the diagrams, we chose to depict a cannon barrel, exactly the same as in the rank insignia on the artillerymen's uniform. We will abbreviate the cannon as the letter P (not to be confused with “p” - short for pawn!). Any cannon can take the knight as the first move in the game, but usually this is not done, since the cannon is immediately beaten by the rook, and at the beginning of the game the cannon is usually stronger than the knight. The Chinese name for the cannon is pao (artillery gun).

Let us now move on to a description of some general rules of Xiangqi. A stalemate in Xiangqi is not a draw; the one who ends up in a stalemate is considered a loss. A whole series of endgames in Xiangqi are built, as we will see below, on winning by stalemate.
There are a number of prohibitions in Xiangqi. One thing we already know is the ban on the opposition (the open vertical rule). Let us now move on to other prohibitions.
You cannot give a perpetual check with the position repeated more than three times in a row. The one who gives such a check for the fourth time is considered defeated. In this case, the attacked side is not obliged to change moves; moreover, it is interested in repetition, since the fourth repetition will bring it victory. Here is a complete analogy with shogi. You cannot give a repeated check that is interrupted by a move that prepares for checkmate on the next move.
Let's move on to the last prohibition. It concerns the eternal threat to any piece other than the king. If such pursuit is carried out with a repetition of the position, then the game ends on the fourth repetition. However, there is a discrepancy in the rules: in the PRC in this case it is considered a draw, but outside the PRC (for example in Hong Kong) this prohibition does not differ from the previous ones and the attacker loses for the fourth time.

Chinese chess was formed as a result of the synthesis of the ancient Chinese game of lubo and Indian chaturanga. The number of pieces and their names roughly correspond to the rules of classical chess, but there are also important differences. The board looks unique.

Story

According to Chinese researchers, the game was known in this country back in the third millennium BC any. Each participant had six pawns and one general at his disposal, and dice were used to determine moves. Subsequently, the rules of this game underwent changes, in particular, the participants abandoned the use of dice.

Around the 9th - 11th centuries AD, a new game arose xiangqi, as a kind of synthesis of any and Indian chaturanga. The number of figures, their names and moves reveal the similarity of xiangqi with chaturanga. At the same time, the appearance of the board and pieces, as well as some peculiar rules, are more consistent with anyone.

The rules of Xiangqi were finally formulated only in 1997. A little later, world championships began to be held regularly. Currently, approximately half a billion people play Xiangqi. Due to its obvious similarity to chaturanga, xiangqi is also called Chinese chess.

Board

Xiangqi uses a rectangular board lined with nine lines vertically and ten lines horizontally. Between the two central horizontal lines there is a river - a strip where the vertical lines are interrupted. The figures are placed not on cells, but at the intersections of lines. At the extreme horizontal lines there are squares of nine fields, marked with diagonals. These squares are called palaces. Some figures cannot cross the river, others cannot leave the palace.

Figures

Each player has sixteen pieces at his disposal. Their colors are red and black. Reds make the first move.

Moves of figures in Xiangqi:

1. King. Moves to one field vertically and horizontally, without leaving the palace. The situation when two kings are located on the same open vertical is unacceptable in xiangqi.
2. Advisor. Moves one square diagonally without leaving the palace.
3. Elephant. Moves two squares diagonally. Cannot cross the river.
4. Horse. In one move, it moves one field vertically or horizontally and one field diagonally. Unlike the knight in classical chess, it cannot jump over pieces.
5. Rook. Moves to any number of fields vertically and horizontally.
6. Pawn. He moves to one square: on his own half of the board - only forward, on the other half - forward and horizontally. Unlike a pawn in classical chess, it cannot be transformed into other pieces.
7. A gun. Moves to any number of fields vertically and horizontally. Unlike other pieces, the cannon hits only when there is one piece between it and the enemy piece.

Completion of the game

The goal of playing Xiangqi is to checkmate the opponent's king. However, a stalemate is also a winning situation - the player who declared the stalemate wins.