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Xiangqi (Chinese:..; pinyin:  xiàngqí, Wade-Giles,:  Hsiang-ch'i), as named "Chinese failures" (by opposition to the western failures) or "failure of the elephants", is an abstracted combinative board game that is played on a picture of 9 lines of large on 10 lines of long. This game is played with 16 pieces by player that are placed on the intersections of the lines. The 2 camps are the red and the bruise, or the red and the black.

INTRODUCTION

Every player possesses:

1 general (equivalent of the king) 5 soldiers (equivalent of the pawns) 2 Mandarins or guards 2 elephants 2 horses (equivalent of the riders) 2 wagons (equivalent of the towers) 2 cannons A river separates the two camps. The pieces don't have the same name according to their camp.

The Xiangqi is played more quickly than the western failures where the gate of the pawns is more important, besides the cannons (or even below) jump to take, what makes early of them a threat in the game. Besides, when in the failures the battle focuses most of the time in the central slots, in the xiangqi this last seems on the contrary to develop itself/themselves simultaneously all around of the game tray.

The combinations of game rise roughly to 10150.

HISTORIC

The oldest traces are situated between 569 (has a controversy to this topic) and 800.Il possess a common ancestor with the western failure game (of which he could be therefore the ancestor, for the same reason as the Indian game, the chaturanga, and that the game Persian shatrang) and the shogi. Let's note that in the past the name xiangqi has been given to games of tray others that the Chinese failures.

Korea developed a variant of the xiangqi named Janggi (as written changgi, janghi, tjyang keui or failures Koreans). The janggi drifts of a former version of the xiangqi. The rules are similar;  in what follows, the specific rules to the Korean variant will be mentioned explicitly.

CONTROLLED

The pieces, constituted of disks marked of a sign identifying them, are placed on the intersections of the lines (as in the go). The two objectors are on one hand the reds, that advance in first, and of the other the bruises or the blacks (the green in Korea). The central row of squares is called the river. Every side has a palace that is of 3 lines on 3 (i.e. 9 positions) placed in the center of every side in border of the tray.

THE PIECES

The General

He is marked with the character Chinese shuài (.) on the red side and jiàng (.) on the blue side. These are indeed military generals, although they are the equivalent of the kings in the western failure game. The legend says that an emperor had two players executed for " murder" either " capture" of the piece emperor, of the stroke the future players called it general.

The general begins the game in the central intersection on the border (inside the palace). He can move vertically of a slot or horizontally, but ever diagonally. When the general is lost, the part is lost. He cannot leave the palace, even though he can capture the hostile general theoretically while moving along a line as a tower would make it in the failures. But as it is illegal to get in failure, a player cannot make any movement that would drive to put the two generals one in front of the other on a same line without any other piece between them. It is a piece important of the game, because he often plays a role in the setting up of the mat, all especially when a lot of other pieces have been exchanged.

The Guards

They are marked. for the reds and. for the bruises (all two decisions shì). These are of high commissioners, i.e. of the members of the advice serving the commander-in-chief. They are called guards, because they remain close to the general, or attending or Mandarins. They are placed to the left and the general's right. These are the weakest pieces because they cannot move that of a slot diagonally and cannot take the palace.

The guards have a somewhat ambivalent aspect:  if they can be useful to protect the general (mainly against the wagons) or to avoid an open line facing each other of the hostile general, they can also offer a piece of cover for the cannons (to see the displacement of this piece) and to embarrass the general's movements within his palace.

Korean version:  the general and the guards can each to move until each of the 9 positions of the palace, while following the lines of the tray. There are 4 diagonal lines in the palace that join the position central to the corners.

The Ministers or Elephants

Named ministers (. xiàng) for the reds and elephants (. xiàng) for the bruises, these pieces are situated to the left and the right of the guards. They move of precisely 2 slots in diagonal, and cannot jump over another piece. Their role is merely defensive because they cannot clear the river.

Korean version:  the elephants move of two slots in diagonal more a horizontal or vertical additional movement while moving away of the initial position, that closes the side opposed of a rectangle 2*3. They can clear the river.

Note:  the Chinese characters for " minister" and " elephant" are homophone.

The Horse

Called horse m.  (. either.) of the two sides, this piece is similar to the rider of the international failures. However the horse cannot also jump over another piece it is important to note that he first moves of one straight up point or horizontally and then of one point in diagonal, while moving away of his initial position.

Korean version:  the movement of the horse is as the one of the elephant, finishing his movement in the side opposed of a rectangle 1*2.

The Wagon

He is marked j.  (. either.) of the two sides. As the tower of the failures, the wagon (or car) moves and takes along a vertical or horizontal right line. The two wagons start the game in the corners.

The Cannons

Marked pào (.) for the reds and bào (.) for the bruises. Every player possesses two cannons. The cannons are placed on the row behind the soldiers, directly before the riders. They move precisely as the wagons, but their way to capture is different. To capture a piece, he must have a piece there precisely (friend or hostile) between the cannon and the piece to take. Then the cannon moves until this point and capture the piece. The cannons are powerful in the beginning of the part when them " hedges" are numerous, but lose the value quickly with the war of wear.

The cannon is certainly the most disconcerting piece for the player accustomed to the western failures;  he modifies complex manner the concepts of failure indeed to the discovery, of double failure, and of nailing.

Korean version:  the other piece on which the cannon jumps must not be another cannon. The cannons can jump to move as to capture.

The Soldiers

They are marked b.ng (.) (soldiers) for the reds and zú (.) (bandits) for the bruises. Every camp possesses 5 soldiers. They are placed on the third line, a slot out of two.

They move and capture right. Once they cleared the river, they can also move (and to capture) of a slot horizontally. They don't have a promotion when they reach the side of the adverse land, but they can move from side to side.

Korean version:  the soldiers can move and can capture horizontally since their first movement.

END OF THE GAME

The game ends when one of the generals is captured or when no legal movement is more possible. In this last case, the person who doesn't have a legal movement loses.

Korean version:  the failure is announced while declaring " janggun"  (i.e. (I capture your General!). To come out of the jaggun is called munggun, and one must declare " munggun" when one comes out of the failure.

CONTROLLED VARIOUS

Contrary to the western failures, there is not of hopeless match by perpetual failure or repetition of position. If it was the case, there would be few conclusive parts between practiced players. If a position must be repeated, a referee is called to determine that is offending. In practice the referee asks the player who is losing to do a different movement. The player who leads can manage therefore to get an advantage. But it is sometimes difficult to determine the offending, and different referees can take different decisions concerning the player who must replay. Sometimes the repetition is forced of the two sides.

In the Chinese and Korean rules, it is illegal to do a movement that would make appear a line non obstructed between the two generals. If such a movement is done, a bitjang results from it;  bitjang is declared then, and the replayed stroke.