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Rules of the Shuanglu Game

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: Ancient China has very rich game culture and Chinese traditional puzzles once influenced greatly...

There is a book named Shuanglu Jinnang Chao in Japan that gives a sketch of how to play the Shuanglu game. Since the game was introduced to Japan from China during the Tang Dynasty, it was a mere copy of the Tang game in both format and playing rules. According to the book, a Shuanglu set contains mainly a chessboard, 15 white and 15 black pieces as well as two dices. The chessboard is carved with 12 identical vertical lines, while the dices have six faces carved with numbers from one to six. To play the game, throw the dices first to determine the steps you shall advance according to the number displayed on dice top. The player who moves its 15 pieces into the realm of the last six lines earlier shall be the winner. Since the chances of advance and retreat make the result unpredictable, the game is highly attractive with its uncertainties.

The Shuanglu Game

Shuanglu (Backgammon set) was an ancient dice game that has been lost. As a game similar to the flying chess, Shuanglu should have been a popular game in ancient China according to records in literary works and cultural relics handed down...

The Shuanglu Set Unearthed in Liaoning

The Shuanglu Set Unearthed in Liaoning

In 1974, a Shuanglu set was unearthed from the No. 7 Liao Tomb in Yemaotai Town, Faku County, Liaoning. The chessboard is 52.8cm long and 25.4cm wide, with two edges embedded with 12 round "route"...