Chinese Chess

Chinese Chess

Chinese Chess is a traditional board game. It is so named in order to be distinguished from international chess. Like international chess, it is a strategy game that simulates the confrontation between two armies and is believed to have roots in military strategy.

Chinese Chess is a two-player game played with a board and pieces. The board has 90 intersections formed by nine vertical lines and 10 horizontal lines. The thick horizontal line in the middle of the board which separates the two sides is called the "River of the Chu and Border of the Han". The square zones containing diagonal lines are the palaces where the generals are placed. The pieces are divided into two groups, red and black, with 16 pieces for each player. The ancient Chinese saw Chinese Chess as a means to inspire wisdom, cultivate strategic thinking, and demonstrate leadership ability in addition to a form of entertainment.

Chinese Chess is one of the most popular board games in China. Following the Tang Dynasty (618- 907), the game was introduced to other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. In the late Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) it spread to Europe and America, gradually becoming a worldwide game.

中国象棋

中国象棋是中国传统棋种，为区别于国际象棋，故称中国象棋。其起源被认为与军事有着密切关系，是模仿两军对垒的一种谋略游戏。

中国象棋是两人对局，有棋盘、棋子。棋盘由9道直线和10道横线交叉组成，共有90个交叉点。棋盘中间没有画线的地方是双方的分界线，名为“楚河汉界”，画有米字斜交叉线的方形区域是安放将帅的“九宫”。棋子分红、黑两组，各16子。古人认为，中国象棋不仅具有娱乐作用，而且可以启迪智慧，培养战略思维，锻炼指挥能力。

中国象棋是中国最普及、最受欢迎的棋类游戏之一。自唐朝起，中国象棋开始向日本、朝鲜、越南等地广泛传播， 清朝后期传播到欧美，逐渐走向世界。