Chinese chess

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Scope note
Strategy board game played in China from about 700 CE. Like Western chess, Chinese chess is believed to have been derived from an Indian board game known as chaturanga. The object of Chinese chess is to capture the opponent's king or general. While the game boards appear superficially similar, the Western board is 8 x 8 rows of alternating light and dark colors, while the Chinese board is 8 x 8 rows of squares of the same color with an extra horizontal void, known as a river, between the two halves; diagonal lines are inscribed across certain squares. Unlike Western chess, which is played on the two-toned squares, Chinese chess is played on the intersection of the lines, known as points, that form the squares. Chinese chess pieces are usually in the form of flat disks, often black and red in color, with Chinese characters inscribed on them to designate their rank. The pieces include a king (general), mandarins, rooks (chariots), knights (horses), elephants (bishops or ministers), cannons, and pawns (soldiers).
Chinese chess
Accepted term: 29-Apr-2024