Chinese Chess Explained

Further Chinese Chess Explained by Malcolm Horne

The rules given below, and the two sample games on the next page, assume a knowledge of Western Chess and of algebraic notation (extended here to a-i for the files and 1-10 for the ranks). Unless otherwise stated, everything (including captures, checkmate, draws, etc.) operates exactly as in our western game. The pieces move on the intersections rather than the squares, but the only difference this makes is a visual one.

The gap in the centre of the board is called the river. Pieces can cross the river exactly as if the vertical lines were joined up, but a pawn gains extra powers after crossing it (as explained later). Each side also has a 3x3 palace (indicated by the "X"). The king and guards cannot leave the palace, but other pieces can freely enter.

The first player takes the RED (or white) pieces, and the second player takes BLACK. Each side has 16 pieces, a king, two guards (standing next to the king), two bishops, two knights, two rooks, two cannons (on the 3rd & 8th ranks in the diagram), and five pawns. All pieces capture in the same way that they move, except the cannon.

The ROOK is exactly the same as in our chess, and in the absence of a queen is the most powerful piece on the board.

The KNIGHT is almost the same, but is slightly more restricted than the western version. In moving one point in a straight line and then one point diagonally, that first point most be vacant. So in the starting diagram Nb1-a3 and Nb1-c3 are both legal, but Nb1-d2 is illegal as c1 is occupied.

The BISHOP is somewhat different. It is a defensive piece [mostly] and moves exactly two points diagonally (the first of these must be vacant, it cannot jump). Moreover it cannot cross the central river. So a red bishop can only visit the points a3/c1/c5/e3/g1/g5/i3.

The GUARD is another defensive [mostly] piece - it is confined to the marked 3x3 palace and moves one point diagonally on the marked lines. So red guards can visit only d1/d3/e2/f1/f3.

The KING is more restricted than its western counterpart. It moves one point horizontally or vertically (never diagonally) and, like its guards, it is confined to the 3x3 palace. There is no castling move, but there is a very important additional rule - the two kings are not allowed o face each other on the same file unless there is something in between them (remove the pawns from e4 and e7 in the diagram on the left, and you have an illegal position).

The CANNON is an unfamiliar but very interesting piece. When not capturing it moves just like a rook, but when it does capture there must be exactly one other piece (of either colour) anywhere along its rook-type path that it can jump over. For example, in the starting position the cannon on h3 could move sideways between c3 and i3, or vertically between h2 and h7, but it could also capture the knight on h10 (jumping over the piece on h8), although that would be a poor opening move.

Finally the humble PAWN, whose move is the same whether capturing or not capturing. It moves one point directly forwards, but once across the river it gains extra powers and can then move either one point forwards as before, or alternatively one point sideways. For example, in the starting position, Red's pawn on e4 can only move to e5. And from there to e6. Once over the river on e6, however, it can then move to d6 or f6, or capture on e7. There is never any diagonal movement, and there is no back rank promotion - if a pawn gets to the back rank it can then only travel sideways.

There are just a few other subsidiary rules. The object of the game is checkmate as usual, but a stalemated player loses not draws. Also perpetual check is illegal (there would be too many draws otherwise), and so the checking player must vary.

The rules on other types of repetitions are unfortunately not yet standardised, but in the UK at present we use the simple rule that any threefold repetition (apart from perpetual check) leads to a draw, just as in Western Chess. [see UKCCA rules]

A fairly rough evaluation of the pieces in Chinese Chess is rook 9, cannon 4, knight 4, bishop & guard both 2, and pawn 1 (or 2 if across the river). The knight may become stronger later in the game, when the board is more open, while the cannon tends to diminish in power when there are fewer pieces left to jump over.





~ from the excellent leaflet of Malcolm Horne's 'Chinese Chess Explained' ~