Chinese Chess also known as Xiang Qi, is a variation on chess that is said to be as
old as the original puported to originate in India. This version, originally written in
C++ and ported to Java in 1995/6 is one of if not the first chess engines and indeed,
one of the very first games written in Java. The intent of this project is to improve
on the original and add JXTA to create network games.
Because of the huge number of players in China and the rest of Asia, Chinese Chess is 'the'
most popular board game in the world.
Java Version of Xiang Qi / Elephant Chess / Chinese Chess
Original Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1998 by Daniel Brookshier and re-released
under the creative open source liciense.
Elephant chess is similar to International Chess, with a few
interesting twists. To play, drag a red piece to a valid move location. Valid
moves can be found by moving the mouse over the pieces. The object is to
capture the King, located at the top center of the board. Be careful, the
computer is a fair player and you must protect your own King!
Java Web Start Version
Java(tm) Web Start
will download the game to your PC so you can play any time without
connecting to the Internet.
Java(tm) Web Start Version:
Elephant Chess
(Xiang Qi)
To get Java Web Start, go here:
Java(tm)
Web Start Download Page
Introduction to Xiang Qi
Xiang Qi (pronounced loosely as: zang che) is THE most played board game in the
world. Go anywhere in the orient and you will find this game being played in
homes, on trains, cafes, even on the sidewalks of downtown Beijing, China.
Elephant chess is similar to International Chess, with a few
interesting twists. To play, drag a red piece to a valid move location. Valid
moves can be found by moving the mouse over the pieces. The object is to
capture the King, located at the top center of the board. Be careful, the
computer is a fair player and you must protect your own King!
The Pieces
King (also called General) Move vertically and
horizontally inside the palace. A king can not be moved horizontally into a
column that has a free line of sight of the other king. You can use this rule
to your advantage to limit the moves of your opponent.
Guard
Guards move diagonally. The guard lives inside the palace with
the king. Elephant
Moves at an angle two steps. Similar to a Horse, but with a
bigger step. Can be blocked by a piece that occupies the first of the two
steps.The piece can move from the position A.I, C.G, I.A, G.C only when there
is no piece on the position E. The elephant can NOT cross the river (perhaps it
will drown?). A-B-C | | | D-E-F
| | | G-H-I
Horse (Knight)
The piece can move from position A to the position F only when
there is no piece on the position C. Piece can move in any direction in the
same manner(E to B, B to E, F to A, A to F). The horse, unlike the elephant,
can across the river. The horse is used just like the knight in European
chess,and is one of the most important pieces.
A-B | | C-D | |
E-F
Cart (Rook)
Same as a rook in European chess. Cannon
The Cannon is the most bizarre piece in Xiang Qi. The cannon
moves like a cart, but can only capture by jumping one piece. The jumped piece
can be either color and there are no restrictions on the length of the jump.
Only one piece can be jumped and there must be a piece to capture. Soldier (Pawn)
The soldier is similar to a pawn in European chess, with a
couple of twists. First, the piece moves from home to enemy territory in a
straight line. If there is a piece in front of the soldier, it can capture it.
After the soldier crosses the river, it may move and capture horizontal. Note:
the soldier cannot retreat. The soldier can never backup.
Other Rules
Queening of Pawns There is no equivalent of queening of a
pawn. All pieces remain the same throughout the game. However, the pawn does
gain left and right motion when it crosses the river.
Castling No equivalent in Xiang Qi.
King Line of Sight The kings cannot be allowed to face
each other. That means that if the kings are on the same column, the last piece
between them cannot be moved (it can be captured). Also, a king cannot move
into a column that does not have pieces between the it and the enemy king. If
the king is in check and the only move is into the line of sight, the game is
checkmate.
Regret Regret is an odd thing in Xiang Qi. In almost all
but official games and especially when a novice and a master are playing,
regret is a mutual acknowledgement that one of the players really goofed. The
pieces are returned to the point where the mistake was made.
Kibitzing Unlike traditional chess, Xiang Qi is a
spectator sport. The reason is mainly because a lot of games are played for
money with side bets held by the crowd. Spectators, with money at stake, are
apt to call out moves or even reach into the game and move a piece.
Other Stuff
Want to learn how to play Elephant Chess like a grand
master? Just head for the Xiang Qi Home
pages!
Problems? Does your web browser crash? It has been known to
happen. Try again because sometimes browsers, like Netscape, need to start out
fresh because of fragmented memory. If that does not work, upgrade to the next
valid version of your browser. Be aware that Beta & Alpha versions are not
guaranteed to work! If you are behind a firewall, this application will fail to
load. If you are still having problems, let me know.
