Kaleidoscope

The Chessboard

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The board on which the game of xiangqi (Chinese chess) is played is called "chessboard". It is a rectangular board that is 9 lines wide by 10 lines long, with a total of 90 crossing points. The pieces are placed on the crossing points. The central area with no vertical lines, i.e. the blank part between the fifth and sixth horizontal lines on the board, is called "the river". The square area with two diagonal lines connecting opposite corners and intersecting at the center point is called "jiu gong"(literally meaning "nine palaces or fortresses", for there happens to be nine crossing points). "Jiu gong" is between the fourth and sixth vertical lines of the board.

Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)

Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game originated from military strategies in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods, by which time there had been official documents about the game. The early-stage xiangqi was composed of three components: chess pieces, dice and board. The pieces were carved out of ivory, with each player having six pieces; before starting a game, the two players would play dice; and the board was a square chess board. After a long period of development, the modern form of xiangqi appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty and caught on in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Details

The Origin of "Chu River & Han Border"

The Origin of "Chu River & Han Border"

"The river" on Chinese chess board is often marked with the phrases "Chu River" and "Han Border", but how did it get these names? Originally, "Chu River and Han Border" was the name of a chasm on...
Chinese Chess Going Global

Chinese Chess Going Global

As part of traditional Chinese culture, xiangqi (Chinese chess) is greatly popular in China. Not only that, it's also widely spread among Chinese compatriots in Southeast Asian countries and...