Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)
Xiangqi is the Chinese version of chess. It branched from the tree of chess history quite a long time ago, so it's one of the odder variations of chess around. It retains some very old ideas that have been discarded from Western chess a long time ago, and has developed some rather curious Chinese features of its own.
The basic idea is the same: you try to catch your opponent's king. In xiangqi kings are somewhat in trouble to start with: they have to remain in their 3x3 castles and cannot leave them. They have guards in the palace, but those guards often end up being quite some trouble...
The game has some other curious restrictions. There's a river in the middle of the board and the bishops (or the elephants) cannot cross the river. Actually, the bishops can only move in steps of exactly two squares. The knights move like in regular chess, except their orthogonal move isn't a jump, but can be blocked.
The cannon is the most interesting piece in xiangqi. It moves like a rook, but captures in a curious way. Cannon can capture like a rook, over any distance, but it must have a support: to capture something, cannon must jump over another piece that stands between the cannon and the target. Makes for some tricky moves!
If you like Western chess, xiangqi is a strange cousin worth trying. If you don't like Western chess, try xiangqi anyway - you might find you like it better than the Western chess. Xiangqi is a very dynamic game, you need to push on and attack hard. The end games can be a tad stale and drawn out and the game has a strong tendency for draws amongst experienced players, but for beginners, it's exciting and fun.
Xiangqi sets come in many flavours. Most have round wooden pieces, marked with Chinese characters (the characters aren't that hard to learn, by the way). The cheapest sets have really flimsy see-through paper boards - pretty awful, but for the cheap price, it does the job. If you just want to have a copy of xiangqi you can try, that's not a bad option. I have one of those and I don't need to have a better board, since I play the game very rarely.
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Chinese Chess xiangqi Set Wooden Board Game China wood xiang qi 32 Pcs Chessman |  |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 1d 4h 49m |
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# Learning CHINESE CHESS Xiangqi Board Game Montessori IQ Train Education Study | |
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US $3.50 | 1d 6h 11m |
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Chinese Chess xiangqi Set Wooden Board Game China wood xiang qi 32 Pcs Chessman | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 2d 5h 12m |
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Chinese Chess Elephant Xiangqi Inlaid Table Top Set | |
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US $54.20 | 2d 11h 49m |
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XIANGQI XIANG QI INTERANTIONAL ELEPHANT CHESS CLUB WOODEN V NICE LOOK | |
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US $45.00 | 3d 14h 29m |
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Chinese Chess xiangqi Set Wooden Board Game China wood xiang qi 32 Pcs Chessman | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 4d 5h 12m |
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Vintage Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) Game in Wooden Box | |
0 Bid | US $16.02 | 5d 10h 30m |
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COMORES NEW ISSUE CHINESE CHESS XIANGQI S/S FDC | |
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US $25.95 | 5d 18h 44m |
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COMORES NEW ISSUE CHINESE CHESS XIANGQI S/S MINT NH | |
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US $19.95 | 5d 18h 44m |
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COMORES NEW ISSUE CHINESE CHESS XIANGQI SHEET FDC | |
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US $25.95 | 5d 18h 44m |
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COMORES NEW ISSUE CHINESE CHESS XIANGQI SHEET MINT NH | |
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US $19.95 | 5d 18h 44m |
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Chinese Elephant Xiangqi Chess Magnetic Travel Set | |
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US $14.00 | 5d 22h 9m |
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Red Wood Chess Chinese Chess Xiangqi | |
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US $59.99 | 5d 23h 20m |
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Chinese Chess xiangqi Set Wooden Board Game China wood xiang qi 32 Pcs Chessman | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 6d 5h 12m |
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Learning CHINESE CHESS Xiangqi Board Game Montessori IQ Train Education Study | |
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US $3.50 | 6d 9h 46m |
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# Learning CHINESE CHESS Xiangqi Board Game Montessori IQ Train Education Study | |
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US $3.50 | 6d 13h 19m |
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Learning CHINESE CHESS Xiangqi Board Game Montessori IQ Train Education Study | |
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US $5.00 | 6d 13h 55m |
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XiangQi. Wood Chinese chess set. Game | |
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US $18.00 | 7d 20m |
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Chinese Chess, Xiangqi, 9.5" magnetic foldable board | |
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US $16.95 | 9d 10h 2m |
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P1964 Postcard Xiangqi Chinese Chess | |
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US $9.99 | 10d 18h 12m |
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K9 Crystal Chinese Chess / Xiangqi - Brand NEW Elegant Transparant Chess | |
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US $59.00 | 11d 4h 54m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) AMBER & AGATE, INLAID 9¼" TABLE | |
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US $76.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) INLAID WOOD, FOLDING 15" BOARD | |
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US $33.30 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) GOLDEN BOARD W/ WOODEN PIECES | |
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US $30.60 | 13d 12h 26m |
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CHINESE CHESS (XIANGQI), ANCIENT SEAL SCRIPT CHARACTERS | |
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US $40.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) METAL FIGURE 14" BOARD K=1 3/4" | |
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US $112.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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FOLDING XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) BOARD, 14 x 13 INCHES | |
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US $26.95 | 13d 12h 26m |
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WOOD BOARD FOR CHINESE CHESS (XIANGQI) - LARGE 20 INCH FOR 1½ to 1¾ INCH PIECES. | |
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US $44.10 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) 1 5/8" ROSEWOOD PIECES w/ BOX | |
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US $49.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) DETAILED FIGURES 14" BOARD K=2" | |
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US $67.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) GOLD LINE, FOLDING 13½" BOARD | |
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US $31.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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HUGE CHINESE CHESS SET (XIANGQI) - ROSEWOOD 2¼" PIECES - INLAID 25" BOARD | |
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US $157.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) HUGE 2 ¼ INCH ROSEWOOD PIECES | |
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US $67.50 | 13d 12h 26m |
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XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS) MAGNETIC, 7 X 8 INCH, PORTABLE | |
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US $17.95 | 13d 12h 26m |
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Chinese Chess, Xiangqi, 8" foldable magnetic mini board | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 13h 34m |
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P1996 Postcard Game Xiangqi Core Strategy | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 17h 29m |
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Y8678 Postcard Game Xiangqi pawns at river | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 17h 30m |
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B6160 Postcard Game Xiangqi players with bird | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 18h 57m |
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G0899 Postcard Game Xiangqi moving forward | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 18h 57m |
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G6902 Postcard Game Xiangqi pieces | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 18h 57m |
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G7545 Postcard Game Xiangqi red piece | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 18h 57m |
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G8006 Postcard Game Xiangqi In the Red Palace | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 18h 57m |
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S4976 Postcard Game Xiangqi Pieces attack palace | |
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US $9.99 | 14d 18h 57m |
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G0031 Postcard Game Xiangqi Red Pawn crossing the river | |
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US $9.99 | 15d 17h 57m |
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G3830 Postcard Game chess pieces surround Xiangqi piece | |
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US $9.99 | 15d 17h 58m |
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Chinese Chess, Xiangqi, 6.5" magnetic foldable board | |
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US $9.98 | 16d 8h 27m |
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B7273 Postcard Xiangqi Defending against horse | |
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US $9.99 | 16d 16h 29m |
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G7398 Postcard Game Sculpture of man playing Xiangqi | |
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US $9.99 | 16d 16h 29m |
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S2983 Postcard Game men playing Xiangqi on poarch | |
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US $9.99 | 16d 16h 30m |
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Y4652 Postcard Game little girl learning xiangqi | |
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US $9.99 | 16d 16h 30m |
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