Notation System

Any person serious about mastering the game must learn the Chinese Notation System of writing down the move. For the benefit of those who do not write Chinese, the AXF has deviced an English translation of this system using alphabets, numerals and mathematical symbols. In this system, every move is written with four characters e.g. C2=5. The first character names the piece moved, the second character denotes the number of the file where the pieces sat before the move, the third character is either + (forward), -(backward), or =(sideways), and the last character either tells the number of the new file where the piece landed or the number of points moved by the piece. The notation C2=5 means Cannon on file #2 move sideways to file #5. For the Adviser, the Elephant and the Horse, because of their oblique movement, the file number will always change after making a move. Therefore, the 4th character always denotes the new file number. For the rest i.e. King, Pawn, Chariot, and Cannon that move along a straight line, the 4th character also denotes the new file number when they move sideways. Only when they move forward or backward, the 4th character then counts the points they have covered. Sometimes you may have two pieces of same type along a file. In that case, change the second character to + or – to differentiate between the front one and the back one.

Most Common Xiangqi Openings

Some of the most important xiangqi openings are introduced here. The purpose is to help new players to get started with the game. This kind of short introduction can naturally not be very comprehensive. It only contains few examples of the most common opening variations. Some openings have been introduced with only one line. The source of information has been Chinese opening books. They have used the Chinese notation system and the names and the abbreviations for the pieces follow the WXF (World Xiangqi Federation) standard. (K=King, R=Chariot, H=Horse, C=Cannon, E=Elephant, A=Advisor, P=Pawn) The names for the openings follow the practice of English xiangqi books. In some cases the Chinese names have also been mentioned.

The xiangqi openings follow the same principles as the chess openings. There are naturally also some differences. The most important thing in the opening is the quick development of the pieces. Moving the center pawn (P5+1) in the opening, which is common in chess, is a mistake in xiangqi. After the reply C2=5 (or C8=5) red loses his center pawn! The center line is strategically important but moving the center pawn makes sense only later when the player is ready to attack. Moving the 3. or 7. line (c and g line in algebraic notation) pawn is a useful development move because after that the horse can advance to the center and the pawn move hinders the corresponding opponent move. The important question is how to arrange the horses, cannons and elephants on the 3. rank. The chariots should be developed as soon as possible.

The most popular and aggressive opening move is 1.C2=5. It has been estimated that about 70% of all games begin with this move. The cannon threatens the opponents center pawn and it prepares for the attack. Attempting to win material and neglecting the development with moves like 1.C2=3 can be a dangerous waste of time.

Black has four very popular and reliable defences against the central cannon opening.

”Screen horses” aka “Two horses defence” (Ping Feng Ma) is the most popular black defence. Black moves both of his horses between the cannons to protect the center pawn. This opening has several variations.

”Fan Gong Ma” (The name is difficult to translate) is another opening where black developes both his horses towards the center but one of the cannon is paced on the palace corner between the horses. black can now connect his elephants. This opening is relatively new. Red has several ways to attack but the black position is solid.

”Same direction Cannon” opening starts with the moves 1.C2=5, C8=5. Black replies with a symmetrical move. This cannon move is possible because the immediate capture of the defenceless center pawn with 2.C5+4 loses time and black gets the initiative. This capture is only played by amateurs.

”Opposite direction Cannon” opening starts with the moves 1.C2=5, C2=5. Here red and black move their cannons to the opposite directions. The modern practice is to make the black cannon move later. (“Delayed opposite direction Cannon”).

The fifth interesting alternative is ”The Three Step Tiger” opening. This name refers to the system where the player develops his chariot quickly by moving the cannon to the edge of the board. (For example with the moves H2+3, C2=1 and R1=2)  This way of development can lead to other openings

Other defences against the central cannon are rare.



Red naturally has other opening moves besides the central cannon. These systems are sometimes called “Soft openings” because the opening move is not a threat.

”The pawn opening” (1.P7+1) is a very flexible system. The red opening move is a useful development move but all the choises concerning piece development are still open. Black usually does not answer with the central cannon because red could then play any of the central cannon openings with colors reversed and the pawn move would be an extra advantage.

”The elephant opening” (1.E3+5) is a very solid opening where red first protects his King by connecting the elephants.

”The horse opening” (1.H2+3) starts with a natural development move. Red can play the Two horse defence, The Fan Gong Ma or Three step tiger opening with the colors reversed.

Red can also play his cannon to the front corner of the palace with the move 1.C2=4 (”Palcorner Cannon”) or 1.C2=6 (“Crosspalace Cannon”). These moves are also useful developing moves.  

Other red opening moves like 1.H8+9 (”Edge Horse”), 1.C2=3 or 1.C2=7 are very rare.

Chess grandmaster Robert Hubner, who has also played Chinese chess, has said that the Chinese chess does not have as much opening theory as chess but there is more endgame theory.

Xiangqi Fundamentals

The opening in Xiangqi normally lasts for about 10-15 moves (by one side), by which both players choose the opening, counter and counter-counter that they like. Normally, unless deadly mistakes are made, the game proceeds to the mid-game. Unlike the opening and endgame, it is hard to define the parameters of the midgame. Most endgames have been studied to such an extent that there are definite conclusions to the outcome if no mistakes are made. So, the midgame can be defined as the period of play after the opening and before the endgame.

Characteristics of the mid game include lesser pieces than the opening, but still many more pieces as compared to end game. Thus there are many more possibilities to the outcome also. It is also perhaps the liveliest part of the game. Anybody who studies and memorizes the various openings and their variations will be at least well off in the openings. BUT THE MIDGAME IS WHERE YOUR SKILLS ARE TESTED. Outstanding trainers personally think that the midgame is the hardest to learn too. And amongst the three, the midgame is the hardest to control.

Whereas the study of the opening is more or less restricted to the different major openings and their variations, the study of the midgame is more conceptual and strategy directed. There are already many endgame scenarios which have a definite result. The beginner is encouraged to understand and memorize these fixed “formulas”. Indeed, Xiangqi manuals on openings explain and show each variation in detail. And manuals on endgames well, just show the formation you have to arrive at and how you should carry on. Tricks are explained also. But for manuals on midgames, strategy is studied, with references to Sun Tzu’s Art of War, or other pearls of Chinese wisdom. Examples are then given to illustrate the ideas presented. It is beyond trainers' ability to go into the detail all there is to know about midgame, but they will try their best to illustrate the simple strategies involved with examples. The following refers to a few terms that everybody should know.

Tactics : a plan, procedure, or expedient for promoting a desired end or result.

Strategy : a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result. Simply put, a strategy is carried out by a series of tactics.


BASIC COMMONLY USED TACTICS IN XIANGQI


Trapping Your Opponent’s Pieces
Xq is basically a battle between 2 forces. Naturally, the stronger side normally has the advantage and better chance of winning. When there is no visible way to kill immediately, sometimes trying to trap your opponent’s important pieces or limit its function will slowly turn the tide in our favor. Trapping your opponent’s pieces can only be done when there is no loss of initiative on your side. If a loss of initiative is encountered, it is not worthwhile, and can be considered a sacrifice by your opponent (who loses a piece to gain initiative).


Fork 
When one of your pieces can attack two or more of your opponent's pieces, a fork is done. Although the direct translation would be to attack only TWO pieces, a fork if used in conjunction with a horse, can capture >=2 pieces at the same time. Used to gain material advantage.


Skewer 
The WXF has a term though called "capture with discover check". A piece is skewered when it is attacked and, on moving, exposes a less important piece to be captured. It can be considered an aggressive form of the fork as, when used as a conjunction with a check (which must be resolved), your opponent’s piece is definitely captured. Chariot skewers are common but skewers involving the horse and cannon are also common and require a little bit more skill.


Deployment 
Simply put, it means placing or positioning your chess pieces such that they occupy good positions for attack, for defense or both. By good deployment, a relatively useless piece can be made much more valuable. Normally refers to the deployment of the chariot, horse and cannon. Sometimes, when there is no visible kill, or the game is in a deadlock, this tactic is used to gain momentum in attacking or gain initiative. Conversely, forcing your opponent’s pieces to bad positions is also a good strategy.


Exchange Pieces 
Normally refers to the exchange of chess pieces of similar value. However, positional advantage is gained and momentum in attacking is increased. Sometimes, an exchange of pieces for the weaker side can simplify the game, making it easier to draw. The key concept is to have better positioning after the exchange.


Exchange for Initiative 
Exchanging your own pieces with your opponent’s to gain better positioning. For example exchanging an ill-positioned piece for a well-positioned opponent’s piece.


Sacrifice 
Any piece other than the king can be sacrificed. As compared to international chess, sacrifices in Xiangqi seem to occur much more frequently. The key concept to know is that a sacrifice is worthwhile only if the sacrificed piece can be retrieved and/or positional gain is attained. If no positional gain is obtainable, it would be suicide. 


Offensive Sacrifice 
It means sacrificing a chesspiece(s) to gain momentum in attack.


Sacrifice to Kill 
Often in the mid-game, there are chances for a kill with a sacrifice. The main goal of the sacrifice here is to lure your opponents pieces away from defending positions, or jam your opponent’s palace so that it cannot defend well. Sometimes, your own pieces get in the way of attacking, so you sacrifice it to attack. The downside is that if it does not work, you will be down a piece.


Abandoning (a piece) before gaining (back a piece)
That is sacrificing a piece a few moves earlier, and then regaining it with positional advantage a few moves later.


Restrict or Impede
When the game is in a deadlock, you try to manipulate your pieces to impede your opponent’s pieces from progressing into a more advantageous position. If successful, your opponent cannot move that piece(s) freely without a positional or material loss. You try to restrict the more important pieces of course.


Seal Off or Blockade 
Similar to restricting, except that your opponent’s pieces are sealed off or cannot move in a particular area on the chessboard. More aggressive than restriction. As the chariot is the most powerful piece on the board, blockade most often refers to restricting the chariot’s movement. After blockade, the aggressive side can proceed to increase his initiative with other pieces and gain both positional and material advantage or even make a kill.


Breakthrough
Breakthrough in xiangqi refers to forcing a break in your opponent’s defense, thus forcing the general to be in a predicament and eventually be checkmated. Breakthroughs in Xiangqi often involve taking away the opponent’s advisor(s) or elephant(s).


Combined Attack 
A combined attack refers to the coming together of major pieces from different directions like center and side to make a kill.


SIMILAR TERMS FOUND IN INTERNATIONAL CHESS

In international chess, Zugzwang (German for compulsion to move) occurs when a player is forced to make an undesirable move. The player is put at a disadvantage because he would prefer to pass and make no move, but a move has to be made, all of which weaken his position. Situations involving zugzwang occur uncommonly, but when they do occur, it is almost always in the endgame where there are fewer choices of available moves. SIMILARLY FOR XIANGQI, THESE OCCUR SOMETIMES BUT ARE VERY RARE. Zwischenzug (German for intermediate move) is a common international chess tactic which, instead of countering a direct threat, a move is played which poses an even more devastating threat, often an attack against the queen or the king. A similar situation can occur in Xiangqi. In fact, almost all the Xiangqi endgame compositions are examples of Zwischenzug. The above list are by no means exhaustive. It is basically condensed and summarized from a few beginner’s manuals. There are also many other articles discussing deeper topics like the formation of the attacking side, the timing of the move and more. More strategies must be discussed in detailed with more diagrams for improvement.

Teng Nuo Tactic

In Xiang Qi game, there will be some pieces (own pieces) which are in bad positions. For example, blocking the passageways of another pieces, 'blocking horse leg', 'blocking elephant eye' or blocking the passageway of the king. In the nutshell, this piece minimize the effective of the other pieces. In this case, by using check, threaten to mate, sacrifice or attack tactic, the dummy piece can be moved away without losing any tempo. This kind of tactic is called 'teng nuo'.

"Cut Down" Tactic

Besides of destroying the cooperation among the pieces, minimizing the effective of the pieces, there is another tactic which is called 'cut down'. 'Cut down' is used with sacrificing, blocking the relationship between the pieces or blocking their passageways.

Block Tactic

Sacrificing pieces to block the passageway of the king, the elephant's eye and the relationship between elephants. This tactic is called 'block'. This is the common tactic of Xiang Qi and it can cause many kid of smothered checkmate. Imagine a position that both side have equalize materials and assume Black is missing an assistance and it is in passive condition and Black horse is having triple attack. At the same time, his cannons and chariot are having great attack. Look like red is in danger! However, Red can win the imagined game by just simply using 'block' tactic.

Attract Tactic

Attract the opponent king or other pieces to a passive position by using 'sacrificing' or 'exchanging'. This tactic is called attract. It is quite similar with 'attract to leave'. During practical, this kind of tactic is commonly seen. Usually, it combine with checking, threaten to mate, attacking piece, blockade and others.

"Attract to Leave" Tactic

Sacrifice or exchange the piece to make a piece to leave an important position. This is called "attract to leave". Its idea is same as "lure the tiger out of the mountains". 

Sidestep-and-Check Tactic

Sidestep a piece and show another piece which is at behind to check the opponent. This type of tactic is commonly seen. It is suitable for chariots, cannons and horses. The difference between it and "sidestep-and-attack" is the opponent must solve the check in his next move. This tactic will turn into "check-and-capture" if the sidestepped piece threatens to capture others. 

Sidestep-and-Attack Tactic

Sidestep a piece and show another piece which is at behind to attack the opponent. This type of tactic is commonly seen. It is suitable for chariots, cannons and horses. Sometimes, it is also used by elephants and pawn.

Double Attack

Double attack is the tactic which is commonly seen in every Xiang Qi game. Its idea is same as the idea in "one stone two birds". Most of the time, the results of double attack are "one side gains the piece and another side loses the pieces." In the opening state, "double attack" tactic is seldom found. However,due to the combination with other tactics, this can create chances for using " double attack". Sometimes,this situation happens in the high level compotitions too. Chariot is the long ranged weapon. In executing "double attack" tactic, it is the most flexible . 

Excellent Xiangqi Players

Under a fixed plan, an excellent player uses various type of tactics and strategies flexibly to defend and attack. This is an important skill in Xiang Qi game to gain a victory or to draw. The basic tactics in Xiang Qi can be divided into almost 22 types. Each of them has its unique style and concept. In Xiang Qi game, combinations for various types of tactics are common seen. They are the spirits of Xiang Qi.

Xiangqi Strategies

Want to learn some Chinese chess strategies? Get some great tips that can help you to overcome your opponent in the following guide.

Chinese chess is considered to be a not so distant cousin of the international game of chess. As it is well known, chess is no dummy’s game. Not only do you need to be aware of the rules and regulations of the game rather you need to have some strategies up your sleeves in order to oust your opponent. With an army consisting of pawns, cannons, chariots, horses, elephants and advisors the object of the game is one; to eliminate the royal general of your opponent. The game requires the player to work according to strategies that will enable him to obtain his final objective.

DODGING A CHECK BY GIVING A SACRIFICE
The win is accomplished by capturing as many of your opponent’s army pieces eventually paving the way for you to check mate his general. When a player can capture the general in the very next move it is known to be a general check. There are only two ways in which you can dodge a check. You can either remove your general out of the line of danger or get another one of your pieces to obstruct the path that is causing the check. This may even require a sacrifice of one of the pieces in order to save the general.

TWO ROADS TO VICTORY
Ideally you would want to get your opponent’s general in a position where he has no way out. This is known as a checkmate. Players must also know that they are not allowed to maneuver more than three consecutive checks. If you can’t secure a checkmate then the other way of winning is by securing a stalemate. In international chess a stalemate results in a draw. This is not the case with Chinese chess. If you can manage to block your opponent in such a manner that he has no legal move to maneuver then it is known as a stale mate and this is the alternative way to secure a win without having to checkmate your opponent’s general.

DEFENCE IS THE BEST OFFENSE
Whereas the object of the game is to capture your opponent’s general by eliminating his army you would want to be careful with going on a full offensive. This might cause you to lose more army men rather than capture your opponent. Make use of the elephants for defensive purposes especially because it can’t cross the river. Have some of your army pieces securing your general at all times.


PREDICTING FUTURE MOVES
One of the key strategies of becoming a good player at Chinese chess is to plan your moves carefully. You must develop the foresight to predict what your opponent is planning to do and then make your move accordingly. Keep an eye open for loopholes and opportunities but never overlook your opponent’s strategy.

Complex Xiangqi

Some argue that thinking about the question of whether Chess or Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) is the more complex game, one should view it from the perspective of complexity theory. 

Using the ideas of complexity theory, the complexity of Chess and Xiangqi can be estimated and calculated quantitatively. In general, there are 3 different kinds of complexity a deterministic board game like Chess or Xiangqi may have. 

1. State-space Complexity: the maximum number of possible positions in the game. It is also possible to calculate an upper bound for state-space complexity which includes illegal positions as well. The upper bound is generally speaking much easier to calculate than the exact value, which is often only given as an accurate estimation. 

It is generally calculated that the state-space complexity of Chess is around 10^50 (10 to the power of 50, or 1 with 50 zeros after it, or one hundred trillion trillion trillion trillion different positions), while the state-space complexity of Xiangqi is around 10^48, 100 times less than that of Chess. This is because despite a larger board (9 times 10 vs. 8 times 8), Xiangqi pieces are generally speaking less powerful than their Chess equivalents and for many pieces the space over which it can potentially move is severely restricted. In Chess, the King, Queen, Rook and Knight can potentially move to every square on the board, the Pawn can potentially reach more than 6/8th of all the squares (though unlikely to move that much in a real game), and even the Bishop can reach half of all the squares. In Xiangqi the General can only stay inside the Palace and move to 9 different intersections, the Advisor can only move to 5 different intersections and the Elephant only to 7 different intersections. 

Another factor is that the Xiangqi board, having 9 files instead of Chess's 8, is symmetrical in the left-right direction. This means the left and right hand sides in Xiangqi are essentially the same, so different board positions may just be a trivial reflection of the other. This decreases the effective state-space complexity of Xiangqi by a factor of 2. In Chess on the other hand, the Kingside and the Queenside are not just a trivial reflection of each other since the distance the King has to the edge of the board is different for the left and right hand sides. 

Therefore despite having 90 intersections on the Xiangqi board vs. only 64 squares for Chess, the total number of possible positions is around 100 times more in Chess than Xiangqi, 10^50 vs. 10^48. 

2. Game-tree Complexity: roughly speaking this is the total number of possible games one can potentially play with a particular version of board game. This is different from state-space complexity and the value is generally speaking far larger because state-space complexity only takes space and position into account, while game-tree complexity analyses the actual moves in a game and hence also puts time into account. Generally speaking, there are many different ways, in terms of playing the game, to reach a particular position on the board. For instance, the opening position on the chess board with Ng1-f3 and e2-e4 (moving the King's Knight and King's Pawn out) can be reached via two different "game-trees": Nf3 first or e4 first, and the number of possible game-trees for a given board position increases dramatically as one progresses into the game and the position becomes much more complex. 

Generally it is estimated that the total number of possible games in Chess is around 10^123 (or 1 with 123 zeros after it), while for Xiangqi it is 10^150, which is 100 million billion times more than Chess. For comparison, consider that the total number of atoms in the observable universe is only around 10^80. 

There are far more possible games in Xiangqi since it is played on a larger board (90 instead of 64 spaces), and generally a game of Xiangqi lasts for more moves than a game of Chess. However, given that the Xiangqi board is left-right symmetrical and therefore left-hand side play is identical to right-hand side play, and that since Xiangqi pieces are generally less powerful and the General is restricted to within the Palace, the larger number of possible games in the purely technical sense becomes relatively trivial by the endgame stage, since real play is likely to be always focused around the General's Palace, and different moves elsewhere on the board essentially converges to the same kind of endgames. In other words, whereas in the earlier phase of the game the game-tree of possible moves branches out, by the endgame in Xiangqi they begin to converge into one-another, and Xiangqi games generally end in relatively similar positions (major pieces and pawns around the General's Palace and a relatively exposed General). 

In Chess game-trees also tend to converge more by the endgame but since the King can move to anywhere on the board and there is the possibility of pawn promotion, the game converges to a significantly smaller extent than Xiangqi. Also the approximate estimation for the game-tree complexity of Chess does not take into account the re-divergence of the game-tree if enough pawns are promoted into pieces in the endgame. Although in real play this tends to be an unlikely scenario, in technical calculations of game complexity this factor should be included. In addition, when the game-tree complexity of Xiangqi is calculated, unlikely endgame scenarios, such as the game dragging on unnecessarily for dozens of extra moves that are in practice trivial, are also included. 

Therefore effectively speaking despite the technically higher game-tree complexity of Xiangqi, Chess is actually the more complex game of the two. 

3. Computational Complexity: a third way to calculate game complexity is to consider how much computational steps are required to play a Chess or Xiangqi game by a Chess or Xiangqi engine/computer as the actual size of the game increases in space. E.g. if the Chess board size doubles, how much more computational power is required? In this both Chess and Xiangqi are very similar in that computational difficulty increases exponentially (in terms of the number of calculational steps required to play the game) with board size. Thus both games are said to be inside the complexity class called EXPTIME (stands for "exponential time"). 

More information on Game Complexity: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_complexity

Introduction to Chinese Chess

Chinese chess, or xiangqi , is perhaps the most popular board game in the world, played by millions of people in China, other parts of Asia, and wherever Chinese have settled. In recent years it has started to become better known among non-Chinese. Westernized sets of boards and pieces sometimes show up in specialty games shops, and there have been several computer versions. But this wonderful game is still not as well known as it deserves to be.

For sheer fun, it’s hard to think of a two-player board game that matches Chinese chess. It exercises the brain in much the same way as Western (international) chess, but it is much faster moving. The movement of the pieces tends to be more fluid, the positions more open. In a sense, it is all “middle game.” There is no careful buildup of pawn structures, the major pieces come into play immediately, and drawn-out endgames are rare. Although the openings have been classified, it is possible to become a good player without a lot of rote learning.

All forms of chess are thought to have a common ancestor, but the dating and placing of the prototypical game are contentious. Following the lead of the chess historian H.J.R. Murray (whose scholarship was perhaps wider than it was deep), it has frequently been asserted that chess originated in India as chaturanga around the middle of the first millenium CE. Others, citing the lack of direct literary or archaeological evidence for chess in India at that time, point to Persia or some part of central Asia. The only thing known for certain is that an early form of the game was known in Persia by the seventh century. Called shatranj, it was played on a board identical to that used in modern Western chess, and with the same configuration of pieces, although some of the moves were more limited.

Chess spread westward through the Islamic world until it arrived in Europe in the Middle Ages. At the same time, it travelled into China and thence to Japan, where it took a very distinct form as shogi. There is also a Korean version very similar to the Chinese one. (Further south, the chess of Thailand, which is holding its own as a national pastime, appears to be on a different evolutionary branch.) By the end of the Song dynasty (960-1279), the modern Chinese game was fully developed.

Some authorities insist that China is the birthplace of chess. If this is so, the game must have been exported very early in its development, because the present Chinese game is an obvious improvement on chaturanga/shatranj. What seems more likely is that the prototypical chess converged with one or more native Chinese games. The modern game may even contain traces of an ancient system of divination in which pieces representing celestial bodies were moved about a map of the cosmos, divided by the Milky Way. The Milky Way is called a river by the Chinese, and the chessboard, as we shall see, has a river running through it. Charles Kliene gives more evidence of this association in the highly entertaining Preface to his Seven Stars: A Chinese Chess Variation with Three Hundred Endings. 

Even the name of the game may suggest a connection with some type of astrological tablet. Qi  means a strategy game, and xiang  is the character that appears on the so-called elephants of the black side. (The equivalent red pieces are called by a homonym  that signifies “adviser” or “augur.”) Like so many Chinese words, xiang has several meanings: it can indeed mean “elephant,” but it might equally refer to the ivory from which some sets are made, or it might signify “image” or “symbol” or even (according to Mathews’ Chinese-English Dictionary) “star” or “heavenly body.” Thus xiangqi might be translated “celestial game” or “symbolic game.” Although “elephant game” is a possible translation, it does not seem apt, given the very limited role of the elephant in play; unless the name simply suggests the game’s Indian origins.

It is interesting to compare the evolution of chess in China and the West. The game of chaturanga/shatranj suffered from several weaknesses, and these weaknesses were remedied in very different ways, as follows:

The pawns in the original game were slow to come into contact with the enemy. In Western chess, this problem was solved by allowing the pawns their initial two-step move. The Chinese solution was to set up the pawns in a forward position. The original game suffered from a lack of mobile attacking forces. Among the major pieces, only the rook and knight had their modern moves. The bishop moved only two squares diagonally, the queen just one. In the West, this problem was solved by extending the move of the bishop, by the introduction of castling to bring a rook quickly to the center, and finally by unleashing the modern queen. In China, the queen and bishop became if anything weaker than in chaturanga/shatranj, but two powerful new mobile pieces, the cannons, were added. Moreover, reducing the number of pawns to five, and opening up the second rank of the initial array, created space for the rapid deployment of the rooks. Games of chaturanga/shatranj that reached the endgame must often have ended in a draw, because the pawn only promoted to the weak queen. In the West, the extension of the powers of the queen made it easier to enforce checkmate in the endgame. In China, the approach was very different: the king was confined to a small part of the board, making him easier to pin down, and the pawns were promoted earlier, being granted lateral movement as soon as they passed the river at the centre of the board. In addition, the king was given the extraordinary power of striking across the board like a rook against the opposing king, opening up many more possibilities for checkmate with just a few pieces left on the board. An important part of the game’s history is the development of the problem. Unlike Western chess problems of the “black to move and mate in three” variety, xiangqi problems (perhaps more accurately called studies) usually offer one side an easy forced win, given the first move, but can also be won by the other side if the advantage is reversed. Charles Kliene has documented one such ending, and gives a colourful description of the hustlers (, which translates as something like “powers of chess layout”) who would set up such jeux partis at the side of the road and challenge all comers. Evidently this custom is still alive today.

BASIC RULES

Players take alternate turns. In each turn, a player must make a single move with a single piece. If a piece ends its move on a point occupied by an enemy piece, that piece is captured and permanently removed from play.

The object of the game is to capture the enemy general. The game is won as soon as one player can make no move that prevents capture of his general. This is checkmate. Stalemate, where one player has no legal move but is not in check, is a win for the last player to move.

It is illegal to make any move that exposes your general to immediate capture. This is called moving into check.

It is illegal to avoid defeat or attempt to force a draw by repeating the same series of moves over and over. In particular, perpetual check is not allowed, and the onus is on the attacker to vary his move.


MOVES OF THE PIECES

Except for the cannon, the pieces move when capturing just as they do when not capturing.

GENERAL
One point in any non-diagonal direction. Cannot move outside the castle. In addition, the general has the theoretical power of striking along an open file to capture the opposing general. Therefore it is illegal to make any move that leaves your own general on an open file opposite the opposing general, because to do so would be to move into check.

MANDARIN
One point in any diagonal direction. Cannot move outside the castle.

ELEPHANT
Two points in any diagonal direction. It must move two points, and cannot leap another piece of either colour. Cannot cross the river. An elephant can thus reach only seven points on the board.

HORSE
One point in any non-diagonal direction, followed by one point in a diagonal direction, so that it ends two points away from where it started. This is similar to the knight’s move in Western chess, except that the move is blocked by any piece occupying the point at the elbow of the move. Hence it is important to remember that the non-diagonal part of the move comes first.

CHARIOT
Any number of points in any non-diagonal direction. Cannot leap. This is just like the rook’s move in Western chess.

CANNON
When not capturing, moves just like the chariot. When capturing, must leap a single piece of either colour before proceeding to the point occupied by the target piece. This intervening piece is called a screen.

SOLDIER
One point straight forward. After it reaches the opposite river bank, can move one point forward or directly sideways. Never moves diagonally or backward. No further promotion is gained when a soldier reaches the farthest rank of the board.

XQ notations

There is a simple way for recording XQ games or moves. Each move is basically made up of 4 components. The first component is basically an alphabet to present the chess piece moved. According to WXF (World Xiangqi Federation, the official site on Xiangqi), the notations for the various pieces are as follows :

Piece                      Notation Name Abbreviation
General                           King K
Advisor/queen       Advisor A
Elephant/minister  Elephant E
Horse/Knight         Horse H
Car/Chariot/Rook  chaRiot R
Cannon                 Cannon C
Soldier/Pawn         Pawn P

The first component is basically an alphabet to present the chess piece moved.The second component is the file which the chess piece is located. The third component refers to the movement of the piece: forward is denoted by “+” , backwards is denoted by “-” and traversing the same horizontal column is denoted by “.”. There are some variations to the notations for traversing though. In most Chinese XQ manuals, it can be represented by “=” or nothing at all , just simply C25. Some coaches are more comfortable with “=” but all 3 notations are acceptable. The fourth or last component denotes the number of steps moved. A few terms are to be clarified again:

File --> the vertical line on which a piece is located. The files are numbered. For red, the files begin on the RIGHT and are numbered from 1-9 respectively. For black, the files also begin on the RIGHT but, on black's right hand side and are numbered from 1-9 respectively. Therefore, Red's 4th file is equivalent to Black's 6th file! Please remember that! Everything is relative.

Rank --> the horizontal line on which a piece is located.

Source : http://www.xqinenglish.com/intro_to_xq_notations.html