Subject: rec.games.chinese-chess FAQ
Date: 17 Apr 1996 04:23:34 GMT
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]


 
...***********************
...rec.games.chinese-chess
....  FAQ
...***********************
 
This posting is intended to address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 
about the game of Chinese chess (otherwise known as "xiangqi" or 
"elephant game" or "co tuong").  
 
.Posting Frequency: Monthly 
.Last Update:       March 31, 1996 
  

FAQ NEWS 

Numbers 1, 3, 4, 11

"Victoria Park" variant has been changed to "Lucky Xiangqi."
Selected Asian Xiangqi Federation rules have been added.


Contents 

1  What is Chinese Chess? 
2  What does the board look like? 
3  What are the pieces & how do they move? 
4  What are the rules of the game?
5  What are the values of the pieces? 
6  What kind of notation is used? 
7  What are some common opening moves? 
8  Are there any proverbs for this game? 
9  Are there any basic guidelines for handicap play? 
10 What about Chinese Chess Cards?
11 Are there any variants of Chinese Chess? 
12 Can you recommend some books? 
13 Where can I buy books? 
14 Can you recommend some magazines? 
15 Where can I buy sets? 
16 Is there any software available? 
17 Are there any Chinese Chess Home Pages on the Internet?
18 Can I play opponents by using my computer? 
19 Are there any clubs where I can find opponents? 
20 Is there a Chinese chess version of the United States Chess Federation? 
21 What are some of the top tournaments in the world? 
22 Who are some of the strongest players around the world?
 

1   What is Chinese Chess? 
 
    Chinese chess is a chess-like game which is especially popular in the 
    Far East: China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc. 
    The strongest players and tournaments can be found in these countries. 
    As would be expected, most of the materials published on Chinese chess 
    are written in the languages of this region: most notably, Chinese and 
    Vietnamese.  As Asians continue to immigrate to Europe and North  
    America, the level of Chinese chess skill on these continents can be 
    expected to improve and more materials should become available in 
    western languages, such as English, French, and German.  Also, more 
    westerners should be expected to become interested in the game and 
    improve their level of expertise. 
     
    Estimates of the total number of Xiangqi players around the world
    run from a conservative 100 million to well over 500 million.

    Chinese chess is NOT any of the following games: Shogi, Japanese chess, 
    go, wei chi, weiqi, Chinese checkers, western chess, Korean chess, 
    Thai chess, Makrook, Malaysian chess, Mah Jong, Sic bo, Pai gow. 
 

    HISTORY 
 
    Under development.

 
2   What does the board look like? 
 
    It looks like this (along with the starting position of the pieces):  
 
 
    r---n---m---g---k---g---m---n---r   9 
    |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   | 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+   8 
    |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   | 
    +---c---+---+---+---+---+---c---+   7 
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 
    p---+---p---+---p---+---p---+---p   6 
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+   5 
    |       R   I   V   E   R       | 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+   4 
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 
    P---+---P---+---P---+---P---+---P   3 
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 
    +---C---+---+---+---+---+---C---+   2 
    |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   | 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+   1 
    |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   | 
    R---N---M---G---K---G---M---N---R   0 
 
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I 
 
 
For cultural purists, you may prefer this one. The coordinates are lined up 
in traditional ways.  [The strange characters at the far right below
are the Chinese characters for the pieces.  You need to use a Chinese 
editor to view them properly.]

 
 
    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9         setup: black 
 1 (j)_(m)_(x)_(s)_(i)_(s)_(x)_(m)_(j) 10     (i): 51           jiang  
    |   |   |   |\  |  /|   |   |   |         (s): 41, 61       shi   ʿ 
 2  |___|___|___|__\|/__|___|___|___|  9      (x): 31, 71       xiang  
    |   |   |   |  /|\  |   |   |   |         (m): 21, 81       ma     
 3  |__(p)__|___|/__|__\|___|__(p)__|  8      (j): 11, 91       ju     
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |         (p): 23, 83       pao    
 4 (z)__|__(z)__|__(z)__|__(z)__|__(z) 7      (z): 14, 34       zu     
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |              54, 74, 94 
 5  |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|  6 
    |                               |  
 6  |_______________________________|  5 
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |         SETUP: RED (moves first) 
 7 (B)__|__(B)__|__(B)__|__(B)__|__(B) 4      (I): 51           shuaI ˧ 
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |         (S): 41, 61       Shi    
 8  |__(P)__|___|___|___|___|__(P)__|  3      (X): 31, 71       Xiang  
    |   |   |   |\  |  /|   |   |   |         (M): 21, 81       Ma     
 9  |___|___|___|__\|/__|___|___|___|  2      (J): 11, 91       Ju     
    |   |   |   |  /|\  |   |   |   |         (P): 23, 83       Pao    
10 (J)_(M)_(X)_(S)_(I)_(S)_(X)_(M)_(J) 1      (B): 14, 34       Bing   
    9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1              54, 74, 94 
 
 
3   What are the pieces and how do they move? 
 
    Each side has the following pieces (familiar Chess-type English names): 
    2 Rooks     (R) (or chariots)  
    2 Knights   (N) (or horses) 
    2 Ministers (M) (or bishops or elephants) 
    2 Guards    (G) (or advisers or assistants) 
    1 King      (K) (or generals) 
    2 Cannons   (C) (or gunners)
    5 Pawns     (P) (or soldiers) 
 
    [Although we have seen no official confirmation, the WXF English names 
    of pieces at this time are supposedly: King, Adviser, Elephant, 
    chaRiot, Horse, Cannon, & Pawn.  CHARGES, & its piece names, are 
    apparently dead.]

    ROOKS   [Chinese Pinyin: Ju1]
    The rooks move and capture as in chess 
......      ........k........9 
    KNIGHTS  [Chinese Pinyin: Ma3]                    .................8 
    The knights move and capture as in chess, with    .................7 
    one important difference: they can be blocked.    .................6 
    Example: if a knight sits on c2 and another piece .................5 
    (either your own or the opponent's) sits on c3,   .     river      . 
    the knight cannot move to d4 or b4; but it could  .................4 
    move to b0 or d0 or a1 or e1 or e3. If a knight   ....R............3 
    sits on c2 and another piece is on d2, then it    ....N.c..........2 
    cannot move to e1 or e3.                          ..............C..1 
......      ........K...M....0 
......      a b c d e f g h i 
    
    MINISTERS  [Chinese Pinyin: Xiang4]
    The ministers can move only two diagonal spaces at a time. They cannot 
    cross the river (see River below) to the other side of the board. It  
    captures on the square to which he is moving. A minister on g0 can move  
    to e2 or i2. If an opposing piece sits on e2, he can capture it.  
    If his own piece sits on e2, he cannot move there. If he sits on g0 and  
    another piece sits on h1, he cannot move to i2 because he is blocked. 
 
    GUARDS  [Chinese Pinyin: Shi4]
    The guards can move only 1 space diagonally, and cannot leave the 
    palace (see Palace below). They capture the same way they move. 
 
    KING  [Chinese Pinyin: Red: Shuai4 ; Black: Jiang4]
    The king moves as in chess, only he cannot move diagonally, only 1 
    square vertically or horizontally. The king must remain in the palace. 
     
    CANNONS  [Chinese Pinyin: Pao4]
    Cannons move like rooks, as many squares vertically or horizontally as 
    they want, as long as there is no other piece in the way. However, 
    cannons capture by jumping over a piece to capture another piece. 
    Example: a cannon sits on e1; a knight sits on f1 (the piece can belong 
    to either side); and an opposing rook sits on h1. The cannon could 
    capture the rook by jumping over the knight. It can only capture by 
    jumping, and can jump over only one piece. If there were two pieces 
    between the cannon and the rook, then the rook could not be captured 
    by that cannon. The cannon cannot jump if it isn't going to capture 
    something, it must simply move like a rook. 
 
    PAWNS  [Chinese Pinyin: Red: Bing1 ; Black: Zu2]
    Pawns move 1 square forward (never two, as is possible on the first 
    move in chess). While the pawn is on its own side of the board, it 
    captures by moving 1 square forward and taking an opposing piece that 
    may be sitting there (the pawns don't capture diagonally as in chess). 
    Once a pawn moves across the river onto the other side of the board, 
    it acquires an additional power: it can then move 1 square sideways 
    in addition to being able to move 1 square forward. On the other side 
    of the board, the pawn could then capture by moving sideways or forward. 
    The pawn can never move backward. The pawn does not promote when it 
    reaches the back rank of the opponent--it can then just move sideways. 
 
    PALACE 
    The king and guards cannot leave the palace (except the guards who leave 
    when they are captured :-) ). If we call the king's starting point 
    e0, then the palace is defined as these 9 points: d0, e0, f0, d1, e1, f1, 
    d2, e2, f2. 
 
    RIVER 
    The river is nothing more than an empty space in the middle of the 
    board dividing the two sides. A piece cannot move into the river--no one 
    can sit in the river because he would drown. It doesn't count as a space. 
    The word "river" is not printed on most sets; usually there are some 
    Chinese characters printed on it. The minister and guard are considered 
    purely defensive pieces because they cannot cross the river and attack  
    the opposing king. Once a piece crosses the river, it becomes more  
    important for attack than defense. 
 
    INTERSECTIONS 
    The pieces move on the intersections of the board, not in the spaces 
    between them, as in chess. 
 
    COLORS 
    In chess, the player who moves first has the "white" pieces. In Chinese 
    chess, the player who moves first moves red pieces. The second player's  
    pieces are usually black or sometimes green or blue. 
 
 
4   What are the rules of the game? 
 
    Here are some rules to remember: 
 
    a) the object of the game is to checkmate or stalemate the opponent.  
       This is accomplished by: 
       1. Placing the opponent in check so that he has no legal move 
.  to get out of the check. 
       2. Stalemating your opponent so that he has no legal move (when you  
.  stalemate your opponent, you win--it is not a draw as in chess). 
     
    b) Red usually moves first. 
 
    c) You cannot check your opponent indefinitely by moving the same 
       piece to the same squares (resulting in perpetual check and a draw 
       in chess). You cannot put the opponent in check more than 3 times 
       in a row with the same piece without either side moving any other 
       piece.   
.
    d) Similar to the rule above, you cannot indefinitely "chase" an 
       opposing piece from one square to another if your opponent has no 
       other way to avoid losing the piece. If you move a rook to e5 
       threatening a cannon on e6, and your opponent's only move to avoid 
       capture is to move the cannon to f6, then you cannot keep chasing it 
       from e6 to f6 by moving from e5 to f5 indefinitely.  The idea of 
       this rule and the rule above is to avoid perpetual check draws. 
       Some of these situations can be complicated but usually the person 
       who is initiating the perpetual move loop must break it off. 
 
    e) The two kings cannot face each other on the same file. If red's 
       king is on e1 and black's king is on e9 and there are no pieces 
       directly between them on the e-file, then that is an illegal 
       position. If black's king is the only piece on the f-file, then red's  
       king on the e-file cannot move to the f file. 
 
    f) When neither side can capture the opposing king, the game is a draw. 
 
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    Asian Xiangqi Federation Rules (Selected)

    Basic Rules:

    1.  Perpetual check is forbidden
    2.  Perpetual attack on an unprotected piece is forbidden
    
    3.  If neither side violates a rule, the game is a draw
    4.  If both sides violate the same rule, the game is a draw
    5.  If one side violates a rule & the other doesn't, 
.the violator must vary
    6.  If one side gives perpetual check & the other side gives
.perpetual attack, the one giving check must vary
    7.  2 pieces cannot alternately attack one unprotected piece
    8.  Alternating an attack with a check is allowed
.[one check, one chase]
    9.  If an attacker is a Pawn or King, perpetual attack is allowed
    10. If a move involves both the other of an exchange & a
.simultaneous attack, it counts as an attack.
    11. A move threatening mate is not a hit
    12. A move threatening capture through checking is not a hit.
    13. Perpetual attack on a chaRiot [protected or not] by a
.Horse or Cannon is forbidden.

    14. 1 piece alternately attacking 2 or more unprotected pieces
.is allowed
    15. 2 pieces alternately attacking 2 or more unprotected pieces
.is allowed
    16. 2 or more pieces attacking 1 protected piece is allowed
    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    
 
5   What are the values of the pieces? 
 
    Here are some rough values, which of course, can change depending on 
    the game situation or how skillful a particular player is in maneuvering 
    a particular piece: 
 
    Rook       9 
    Cannon     4.5 
    Knight     4 
    Minister   2 
    Guard      2 
    Pawn       2 (after crossing river) 
    Pawn       1 (before crossing river) 
    [From XiangQi Review]


6   What kind of notation is used? 
     
    It seems every writer or organization uses different notation. We are 
    generally following ICCS notation in the FAQ for compatibility: 
    the rows are A to I from left to right (from red's viewpoint), and 
    the files are number 0-9 from bottom of the board to the top. 
    Other notations are AXF, algebraic, and Xiangqi Review. Not to mention
    the traditional notation found in Chinese books & magazines.
 
 
7   What are some common opening moves? 
 
 
    The Central Cannon is the most popular. Red moves Ch2-e2. Black usually 
    replies with Ch7-e7 or Nh9-g7 or Nb9-c7. 
    The Minister's (or Bishop's) opening was popularized by Hu RongHua. 
    The starting move is Mg0-e2. 
    Other starting moves are Pc3-c4 or Pg3-g4 or Nh0-g2. 
 
Here is XiangQi Review's listing of common XiangQi openings: 
 
-------------                           ----------------------- 
Opening Moves                           Opening Name in English 
-------------                           ----------------------- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
1. C2=5                                 Central Cannon Opening 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
1. C2=5 C8=5                            Cannon's Defense 
 
1. C2=5 C2=5                            Counter Cannon Defense 
 
1. C2=5 N8+7 2....   C2=5               Counter Cannon Deferred 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
1. C2=5 N8+7 2. N2+3 N2+3               Two Knights' Defense [TKD] 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
1. C2=5 N2+3 2. N2+3 N8+9               One Knight's Defense 
 
1. C2=5 N2+3 2. N2+3 R9+1               Accelerated One Knight 
 
1. C2=5 N2+3 2. N2+3 C8=6               Pseudo Two Knight' Defense 
3. R1=2 N8+7                             
 
1. C2=5 N2+3 2. N2+3 P7+1               Paired Cannons Defense 
3. R1=2 R9+2 
 
1. C2=5 N2+3 2. N2+3 R9+1               Right Paired Cannons Defense 
3. R1=2 C8-1 
 
1. C2=5 N8+7 2. N2+3 R9=8               The Left Piston 
3. R1=2 C8+4 
 
1. C2=5 N8+7 2. N2+3 R9=8               Tiger Formation 
3. .... C8=9 
 
1. C2=5 C8+1                            Stacked Cannons Defense 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
1. P3+1 or P7+1                         Pawn Opening 
 
1. N2+3                                 Knight Opening 
 
1. B3+5                                 Bishop Opening 
 
1. C2=6                                 Long Cannon Opening 
 
1. C2=4                                 Short Cannon Opening 
 
1. C2=3                                 Short Pawn Cannon Opening 
 
1. C2=7                                 Long Pawn Cannon Opening 
 
1. C2=1                                 Side Cannon Opening 
 
1. C2+2                                 Border Cannon Opening 
 
1. P9+1                                 Side Pawn Opening 
 
1. N8+9                                 Side Knight Opening 
 
1. G4+5                                 Guard Opening 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Others                                  Irregular Openings 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 

8   Are there any proverbs for this game? 
 
    
    Most Chinese chess proverbs are slight "exaggerations" of the truth: 
 
    When my opponent's cannon moves to the middle, my knight jumps up 
    front. (For the most common opening.) 
 
    If a rook is not moved within the first 3 moves, it is dead. 
 
    A pawn is as powerful as a rook after it crosses the river. 
 
    An old pawn is as good as none ("old" when on opponent's back rank) 
     
    Weak players go for pawns and call "check!" every move. 
 
    Single rook can hardly ever beat a complete Guard/Minister defense. 
 
 
9   Are there any basic guidelines for handicap play? 
 
    Rook Odds 
    The side giving odds as red plays without the left rook. There are 3 
    "iron" pieces. Red's leftmost pawn, left knight and left cannon can't 
    be captured unless they've moved. 
 
    2 Knights Odds 
    Red plays without his knights. "Iron" center pawn. Red's center pawn can 
    be captured only by check & only by the piece giving check. 
 
    Knight and Move(s) Odds 
    The side giving odd plays black and without his left knight; red makes 
    1 or more moves before black replies (possible red moves--see Moves 
    Odds). 
 
    1 Knight Odds 
    Red plays without his left knight. 
 
    4 Plus Moves Odds 
    The side receiving odds plays red & makes 4 or more moves before black 
    moves. No pieces except pawns can be moved to the player's own river 
    edge for these 4 (or more) moves. 
 
    3 Moves Odds 
    The side receiving odds as red makes 3 moves before black replies. 
    About equal to 1 knight odds. No pieces are allowed to cross the river 
    during these 3 initial moves. 
 
    2 Moves Odds 
    Side receiving odds as red makes 2 moves. 
 
    1 Move Odds 
    The side receiving odds plays red. 
 
    Less Than 1 Move Odds 
    Half-move odds would be playing 2 games as red & 1 as black. 
 
    Agree to the conditions before play begins to avoid disputes. 
    Giving cannon odds is rare & much harder than giving knight odds. 
 
10  What about Chinese Chess Cards?


Here is some information on Chinese Chess Cards.  If anyone has
additional or conflicting information, please let us know.

The cards themselves are very slim, probably less than half as
wide as regular playing cards.

Packs are made based on both 2-sided & 4-sided Chinese Chess.
The idea of the game is to collect as many related cards as possible.

Cards based on 4-sided chess are called "Soo Sik Pai" and contain
28 basic cards repeated a number of times.  Each suit has a
different colored background which represents the chess pieces.
The green & white suits correspond to the red pieces & the
red & yellow suits correspond to the black pieces.

The 28 red-suit cards usually contain drawings of full-length
figures, such as the "five blessings" men, as well as the symbols
for its piece.  The white cards have flowers.  The yellow cards are
marked with animals.  There are 33 green cards, 28 with birds and
butterflies, and also 5 figure cards with jokers or honors, with
no other markings.

The 2-player chess cards are called "Hung Pai".  They have 2 suits,
one white and one red or black, which contain the same cards as the
respective suits in the 4-player chess game.  The basic cards can be
repeated several times to a maximum of 112 cards.  Sometimes
jokers are added to the pack.


11  Are there any variants of Chinese Chess? 
    
 
    A. The Three Friends 
 
    According to H.R. Murray, this game is supposed to illustrate the 
    war of the Three Kingdoms (although perhaps the "3 Kingdoms" 
    version, listed next, and not this one, is meant):
    Wei (blue), Shu (red) and Wu (green), A.D. 221-64. The lines of the 
    board are not straight throughout, and each army faces the other 
    two. The pieces consist of the regular 16, but also a different piece 
    (2 of them for each army). This piece in red's army is designated as 
    (F) for "fire." Blue's is called (B) for "banner" and green's is 
    called (W) for "wind."  Their move is an extended knight's move: 
    2 steps vertically or horizontally and then 1 step diagonally. In the 
    initial position, they each sit 2 spaces directly above the guards 
    of each army. 
 
    When one of the Generals (who are named Wei, Shu, and Wu) is mated, 
    the player who has mated him removes the king from the board and 
    adds the remainder of his army to his own. 
 
    The board has 6 sides. 3 of the sides have 9 spaces across (where the 
    3 armies start). The other 3 sides have 10 spaces across, each. 
    The board is really 3 half regular boards,  plus 12 
    squares (3 X 4 squares, each dividing each army's half board from 
    the others) & 1 triangle space (in the very center of the board). 
 
    A diagram of the board is given in H.R. Murray's book, "A History 
    of Chess." 
 
    R = Rook         K = King      F = Fire 
    H = Horse        C = Cannon    B = Banner 
    E = Elephant     P = Pawn      W = Wind 
    G = Guard 
 
    Here's my diagram of the board. Pretty good, huh? :-) 
 
 
 
Blue Army         (R)-+----+---(P)-|----|-(P)---+----+-(R)       Green Army 
..(H)---+---(C)------|----|------(C)---+---(H) 
.      (E)-----+-------(P)\ |    | /(P)-------+-----(E) 
.    (G) -----(B)---- \    \|----|/   \ / ---(W)------(G) 
.  (K)  +              \    |    |    /\            +   (K) 
.(G)       \             \  |    |  /    \      /         (G) 
      (E)   \          (P)        \|----|/       (P)           /   (E) 
    (H)   +   (B)             \    |    |    /       \      (W)   +  (H) 
  (R)  \     \   \                \|----|/              /       /   /  (R) 
    +   (C)   (P)   \            /  \  / \           /      (P)  (C)   +  
      +    \     \     \ /           \/        \   /        /   \/    +   
       (P)   \     \ /   \           /|\         /   \    /     /  \(P) 
.  \    /     \      \    /    |     \   /       /  \  /    / 
.    +    \     \   /  \       |       /   \   /     /   \ + 
.      \    \  /  \     \      |      /      /    \ /    / 
..+   \     \     \     |     /      /     /    + 
.. \    \    \     \    |    /     /     /    / 
.. (P)---+---(P)---+---(P)---+---(P)---+---(P)     
..    +--(C)--+---(F)---+---(F)---+--(C)--+
..     +----+---+---+---+---+---+---+----+  
..     (R)-(H)-(E)-(G)-(K)-(G)-(E)-(H)-(R) 
 
....  Red Army 
 
 
 
 
.B. The Three Kingdoms 
 
This is another version of the 3-player game.  The board is 
different from Version 1.  In this one, 3 Xiangqi half-boards  
are placed against the central "triangle" area.  Every intersection  
on the half-boards and in the triangle can be moved upon by the pieces.   
I see no evidence of any extra pieces (as in Version 1).   
 
 
....
...      / \ 
Half Xiangqi ----------->    /___\     <----------------  Half Xiangqi 
...    /\   /\ 
Board Placed --------->    /___\/__\     <--------------  Board Placed 
...  /\   /\  /\ 
Against Side ------->    /___\/__\/__\     <------------  Against Side 
.../\   /\  /\  /\ 
Of Triangle  ----->    /___\/__\/__\/__\     <----------  Of Triangle 
..      /\   /\  /\  /\  /\ 
(Same as     ---->   /___\/__\/__\/__\/__\     <--------  (Same as 
..    /\   /\  /\  /\  /\  /\ 
Half Board   --->  /___\/__\/__\/__\/__\/__\     <------  Half Board at 
..  /\   /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\ 
At Bottom    --> /___\/__\/__\/__\/__\/__\/__\     <----  Bottom of    
../\   /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\       
Of Triangle) ->/___\/__\/__\/__\/__\/__\/__\/__\     <--  Triangle) 
.       |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 
.       |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| 
.       |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 
.       |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| 
.       |   |   |   |\  |  /|   |   |   | 
.       |___|___|___|__\|/__|___|___|___| 
.       |   |   |   |  /|\  |   |   |   | 
.       |___|___|___|/__|__\|___|___|___| 
 
 
 
    C. Half-Board Variant 
 
    Here is another Xiangqi variant, as given in Xiangqi Review 
    (Volume II, Number 5).  You only use half the board, but all 
    32 pieces. 
 
    Turn over all 32 pieces, so you can't see what they are, and mix 
    them all well.  Then put them all face-down on the *squares* of 
    a half-board--not on the intersections, on the squares, like in 
    western chess. 
 
    After deciding who goes first, the first player chooses a piece 
    to turn over, which constitutes one move. Then the second player 
    turns over a piece. The players then alternate, either turning 
    over another piece or making a move with a piece already turned up. 
 
    All the pieces move the same way--one square up, down, right, or 
    left, but not diagonally. You can move a piece onto any adjacent 
    empty square, or onto an adjacent square occupied by another 
    piece by capturing that piece, if legal. The captured piece is 
    then removed from the board. Moving is compulsory, capturing not. 
 
    The men rank in this order: 
 
    king -> Rook -> Horse -> Cannon -> Bishop -> Guard -> Pawn -->> King 
 
    Each piece can take any piece that's equal or lower in rank. The 
    exception is that a pawn *can* take a king!  
 
    A game is won when you have captured all men from your opponent, or 
    when he resigns. Checkmating the king doesn't end the game, draws 
    are rare. 
 
    Material gain is the highest objective. Be careful when capturing 
    that your piece isn't trapped or lost to another higher piece. 
 
    There is no checking or hitting violations, no repetition prohibitions. 
    Force your opponent to take risks by having to turn over unknown 
    pieces next to his. In some positions, the rook may even be worth 
    more than the king. 
 
 
    D. Seven Warring States Variant 
 
    Name of Game: Qiguo Xiangxi (7 Warring States Chess) 
 
    There are a total of 120 pieces used in this variant symbolizing the 
    seven Warring States (403-221 B.C.) period.  This variant was created 
    by Guang Si-ma. 
 
    The Zhou (kingdom) has 1 piece (at the center point of the board). 
    Each of the 7 Warring States has 17 pieces. 
.The Zhou piece is yellow     (central space) 
.Qin is white                 (starts in west position) 
.Chu is red                   (south position) 
.Qi is indigo (dark blue)     (east position) 
.Yan is black                 (north position) 
.Han is cinnabar (orange-red) (south position) 
.Wei is green                 (east position) 
.Zhao is purple               (north position) 
 
    Pieces: 
 
.General (Jiang)    
..Each of 7 states has 1 General. He moves vertically,  
..horizontally, or diagonally with no limit on distance  
..(like the queen in western chess). 
 
.Deputy General (Pian1) 
..Each army has 1 Deputy General. He moves vertically or 
..horizontally with no limit on distance (like the rook). 
 
.Officer (Bi4) 
..Each army has 1 Officer. He moves diagonally 
..without limit (like the bishop in western chess). 
 
.The Generals, Deputy Generals, and Officers are viewed 
.as being mounted on chariots (elephants were not used in China, 
.though the Xiang character is used in the game's name). 
 
.Diplomat or Liaison Officer (Xing2ren2) 
..Each army has 1 Diplomat. He moves vertically, 
..horizontally, or diagonally without limit (like the queen 
..in western chess). But he may not engage in combat, and 
..may not be killed. 
 
.Cannon (Pao) 
..Each army has 1 cannon. It moves vertically or 
..horizontally without limit. There must be an intervening 
..piece for it to attack another piece (it moves just like 
..modern-day cannon). 
 
.Archers (Gong1) 
..Each army has 1 (unit of) Archers. The unit moves 
..4 spaces (on each move) vertically, horizontally, or 
..diagonally. 
 
.Crossbowmen (Nu3) 
..Each army has 1 (unit of) Crossbowmen. The unit moves 
..5 spaces vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. 
 
.Swordsmen (Dao1) 
..Each army has 2 units of Swordsmen. Each unit moves 
..1 space diagonally. 
 
.Broadswordsmen (Qian?) 
..Each army has 4 units of Broadswordsmen. Each unit moves 
..1 space vertically or horizontally. 
 
.Cavalry (Qi2) 
..Each army has 4 units of Cavalry. Each unit moves 
..4 spaces and moves similar to a knight--1 space in a 
..straight line and then 3 spaces diagonally. 
 
    If 7 people play the game, each takes 1 warring state.  If 6 people 
    play, 1 player takes both Qin and 1 other state in alliance with it. 
    If 5 people play, then in addition to the Qin alliance, Chu is allied 
    with 1 other state. If 4 people play, then in addition to the Qin and 
    Chu alliances, Qi is allied to another state. 
 
    When each player takes possession of 1 state, those states with which 
    they are allied are chosen by the players themselves. Both of the allied  
    states are directed by the choosing players, who must first take an oath  
    saying, "If either of the states under my command is lost, it will be  
    through my own carelessness." If 1 player orders an ally to attack a  
    very strongly defended state, he must first penalize himself by downing  
    a glass of liquor (or beer). 
 
    The order of play is: Qin, Chu, Han, Qi, Wei, Zhao, and Yan 
    (this order is counterclockwise beginning with the state in the west 
    in the initial position, which is Qin). 
 
    If a poor move is played, it may not be taken back (except if penalty 
    is agreed by players beforehand--glass of beer, lose next turn, etc.). 
    If anyone moves a piece incorrectly, he is penalized (either a lost move 
    or a shot of liquor, exact penalties at discretion of players 
    themselves). If a player attacks his own ally, then the entire army of 
    that ally is lost and removed from the board. Whenever a player is 
    placed in check, he may be penalized according to previously agreed 
    upon penalty :-) 
 
    A player wins over another state by capturing that enemy's General. But 
    even if the General is not taken, a player can win by capturing more 
    than 10 other pieces of the opposing state. If an enemy has not yet lost 
    10 pieces and a player's own army loses more than 10, then that player's 
    own army is lost and removed. 
 
    At the end of the game, the player who has captured the most pieces is 
    the winner of the game. First the winner takes a victory drink (a 
    special drink that is not used for other purposes associated with 
    this game), then the losers take a drink. 
 
    Should 1 player have captured 2 Generals, or take a total of 30 lesser 
    pieces, he is declared Dictator, or Tyrant, or just Bully (Ba4). Once a  
    player has become Dictator, all the other states avow their submission  
    to him, and everyone drinks another round.  
 
    Relative value of pieces in their initial positions: 
    1 Cavalry unit is equal to any 2 units of Archers, Crossbowmen, 
    Swordsmen, or Broadswordsmen. A Cannon is equal to 3 units of same. 
    An Officer is equal to 4. A Deputy General is equal to 5. 
 
    The Zhou king is yellow and sits in the center to show respect for the 
    Son of Heaven. He has no army, does not engage in battle. Each of the 
    7 states has a particular color to reflect its directional position. 
    The Diplomats represent persuasive politicians who try to create 
    alliances among the states. 
 
    The Yi Zheng Retired Scholar Pei Zi-xi obtained a copy of the text of 
    this game's rules and had it engraved on wooden blocks so that it would 
    be widely transmitted. It was then printed on the day of the Lantern 
    Festival in the second year of the Kai-xi reign period 
    (24 February 1206). 
 
 
    Game Board with Initial Position 
 
    G       General 
    D       Deputy General 
    O       Officer 
    L       Liaison Officer (Diplomat) 
    P       Pao (Cannon) 
    A       Archers 
    C       Crossbowmen 
    S       Swordsmen 
    B       Broadswordsmen 
    H       Horsemen (Cavalry) 
    Z       Zhou King 
 
 
..     Yan                            Zhao  
  +---+--(H)-(B)-(O)-(G)-(D)-(B)-(H)--+--(H)-(B)-(O)-(G)-(D)-(B)-(H)--+---+ 
  +---+---+--(H)-(B)-(P)-(B)-(H)--+---+---+--(H)-(B)-(P)-(B)-(H)--+---+---+ 
  +---+---+---+--(S)-(C)-(S)--+---+---+---+---+--(S)-(C)-(S)--+---+---+--(H) 
  +---+---+---+---+--(A)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(A)--+---+---+--(H)-(B) 
  +---+---+---+---+--(L)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(L)--+---+--(S)-(B)-(O)W 
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(L)-(A)-(C)-(P)-(G)e 
 (H)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(S)-(B)-(D)i 
 (B)-(H)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(H)-(B) 
Q(D)-(B)-(S)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(H) 
i(G)-(P)-(C)-(A)-(L)--+---+---+---+--(Z)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 
n(O)-(B)-(S)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(H) 
 (B)-(H)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(H)-(B) 
 (H)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(S)-(B)-(O)Q 
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(L)-(A)-(C)-(P)-(G)i 
  +---+---+---+---+--(L)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(L)--+---+--(S)-(B)-(D) 
  +---+---+---+---+--(A)--+---+---+---+---+---+---+--(A)--+---+---+--(H)-(B) 
  +---+---+---+--(S)-(C)-(S)--+---+---+---+---+--(S)-(C)-(S)--+---+---+--(H) 
  +---+---+--(H)-(B)-(P)-(B)-(H)--+---+---+--(H)-(B)-(P)-(B)-(H)--+---+---+ 
  +---+--(H)-(B)-(D)-(G)-(O)-(B)-(H)--+--(H)-(B)-(D)-(G)-(O)-(B)-(H)--+---+ 
..     Chu                             Han 
 

.E. Who Crosses the River First?

"Who Crosses The River First?"  Supposedly comes from the area around
Chang-an at a caravan crossing point on the Yellow River.  The game is the
battle between the merchants and the bandits and is supposed to be popular 
with ferrymen and drovers of all ages.  If anyone has conflicting or
additional information, let us know.


Board: 9x10, river across the center

     s---s---+---+---p---+---+---s---s
     |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
     h---h---c---c---+---c---c---h---h
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---a---+---a---+---a---+---a---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |                               |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---A---+---A---+---A---+---A---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     H---H---C---C---+---C---C---H---H
     |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
     S---S---+---+---P---+---+---S---S


A-Artillery:  may be set up anywhere in the row they are on, moves any 
.      number orthogonally [like a standard cannon?] but must 
.      always jump exactly one piece whether it captures or not.

C-Camel:      moves any number diagonally.

H-Horse:      may be set anywhere in their row not already occupied by 
.      a Camel, jumps 2 orthogonally.

P-Prince:     1 or 2 in any direction.

S-Soldier/Robber/Guard:  
.      any number vertically forward but may not cross the river.

"There is no capturing" [?]   Win by surrounding the opposing Prince so that 
he cannot move, regardless of whether any other piece can move. No piece 
may jump over a Prince.  Players are Red and Black.  Red sets his pieces 
on the board first.  Black then sets his pieces on the board and throws 
the die first.  Players take turns throwing the die, without moving any 
pieces, until one of them throws a 5.  That player makes the first move 
using the 5.  Play then becomes turn-and-turn about, each moving according 
to the throw of the die.  The die is a long, 4-sided stick (chopstick?)  
with the numbers 2/3/4/5 on its sides.

A throw of 2 the player moves an Artillery piece.
A throw of 3 the player moves a Horse
A throw of 4 the player moves a Camel
A throw of 5 the player moves a Soldier or his Prince


.
.F. 5 Tigers

XiangQi Review (Sept/Oct 1995) contains information on a popular
variant called "5 Tigers".  The "5 Tigers" refers to red's 5 pawns,
which have special powers.  The pawns can move 2 point each move,
or red could choose the option of, on one turn, moving one pawn
one point, and another pawn one point.  Once they cross the river,
they can also move sideways, just as in standard Xiangqi.  A red
pawn across the river could move one point forward and one point
sideways on one turn.  

So how to make the game fair for black?  Well, in this variant,
red plays WITHOUT his 2 rooks, 2 knights, and 2 cannons!  It may
seem at first glance that red wouldn't have a chance with such a
material deficit, but that just shows the might of the 5 tigers,
as their 2-point moves can quickly overwhelm the enemy king.


This is the starting lineup:


     r---n---m---g---k---g---m---n---r
     |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
     +---c---+---+---+---+---+---c---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     p---+---p---+---p---+---p---+---p
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |                               |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     P---+---P---+---P---+---P---+---P
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
     +---+---M---G---K---G---M---+---+


Red's objective is to create passed tiger-pawns and get them as close to
the black king as possible to deliver mate, and also to try to take  
as many enemy pieces as possible.  Black wants to defend his king, 
kill off as many tigers as possible, while remaining with enough of 
a material advantage to win the game.  If black can exchange either 
a rook, knight, or cannon for each tiger, he will probably win,
because he will still have one piece remaining.

To see the danger of a red tiger in the black king's palace, look at 
this diagram:


r---n---m---g---k---g---m---+---r
|   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
+---+---+--(P)--|---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---n---c---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
p---+---+---+---p---+---+---+---p
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|                               |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
P---+---+---+---P---+---+---+---P
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
+---+---M---G---K---G---M---+---+

In this position, black is checkmated!  Notice the red tiger near the
black king.  Because red is threatening to take his king with P6+1
and P6=5, black must either move his king or kill the tiger.  He can
do neither.  If black's left guard were above his king, he would
have the move k5=6 and could escape.

.G. Lucky Xiangqi  [Formerly Victoria Park]

All the pieces, except the kings, are turned over so you can't
see what they are.  You mix them up so you don't know what they
are, and place them all on the starting points.  Then you turn
over a piece as you move it.  I don't have many more details than
this.  This is another advantage of using flat pieces--you can
turn them over & play variants such as this one.


.H. YiTong [The Unified, All-in-One Piece]

To play YiTong, remove red's cannons, knights, and left rook.  Black
plays with all his pieces.  All pieces move as in the regular game,
except that red's rook can move either as a rook, or a cannon,
or a knight on any move.  I don't have many details as I saw this
mentioned in a Chinese game book I browsed through in a store.
Supposedly it was very popular in Manchuria.


This is the starting lineup:


     r---n---m---g---k---g---m---n---r
     |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
     +---c---+---+---+---+---+---c---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     p---+---p---+---p---+---p---+---p
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |                               |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     P---+---P---+---P---+---P---+---P
     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | \ | / |   |   |   |
     +---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+
     |   |   |   | / | \ |   |   |   |
     +---+---M---G---K---G---M---+---R


Usually, red's first move would probably be R1+2, moving like
a knight.


.I. Four-Player Chinese Chess

Here is the starting lineup:

..       *************************
..       Four-Player Chinese Chess
..       *************************


..  R---N---M---G---K---G---M---N---R
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  +---C---+---+---+---+---+---C---+
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  P---+---P---+---P---+---P---+---P
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  R---+---+---P---|-------------------------------|---P---+---+---R
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  N---+---C---+---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---+---C---+---N
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  M---+---+---P---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---P---+---+---M
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  G---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---G
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  K---+---+---P---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---P---+---+---K
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  G---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---+---+---+---G
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  M---+---+---P---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---P---+---+---M
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  N---+---C---+---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---+---C---+---N
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
  R---+---+---P---|---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|---P---+---+---R
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  P---+---P---+---P---+---P---+---P
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  +---C---+---+---+---+---+---C---+
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
..  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
..  R---N---M---G---K---G---M---N---R




12  Can you recommend some books? 
 
 
    There are only a few books in English that are readily available: 
 
.1. There is a new Xiangqi book in English now available:

.First Syllabus on Xiangqi - Chinese Chess I
.1996
.ISBN: 0-9637852-5-7
.160 pages 6 x 9 softcover
.
.Price: USA: $13.50 (includes postage & handling)
.       Outside USA: 12 pounds or equivalent, airpost paid.
.Send orders to:

.Mr. David H. Li
.PO Box 341267
.Bethesda, MD  20827
.USA


    2. Chinese Chess by H.T. Lau.  1986. Tuttle. 
       Basic rules, opening, middle and endgame play. Many exercises. 
       Material needed to win or draw various endings. Descriptions of 
       popular opening variations.  
       This book received a rating of 6 in XiangQi Review            
       (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest). 
 
    3. Chinese Chess for Beginners by Sam Sloan. 1992. Ishi Press. 
       Ishi Press 
       1394-A Willow Rd
       Menlo Park, CA  94025
       415-223-6996
       Gives the basic rules, info about personalities, etc.     
       This book received a rating of 3.5 in XiangQi Review        
       (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest). 
 
    4. Let's Play Chinese Chess by B. Constantino. 1988. From Hong Kong. 
       (Available from Yutopian Enterprises. See address below.) 
       [I do not know of any reputable publication that has published
       a review of this book.]

    5. Chinese Chess by Robert Lin.  1991. The Alternative Press.
       PO Box 98308, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
       Fax: (852) 881 1853.  Phone: (852) 577 6319.
       ISBN 962-7335-07-x. 81 pp, algebraic notation & Chinese pieces.
       ["It is the best English-language book I have seen."--
       a fan in Europe.]

    Other books in English you might find in a library or old book store: 
    6. Hsiang Ch'i: The Chinese Game of Chess by Terence Donnelly. 
    7. A Manual of Chinese Chess by Charles Wilkes. 
    8. The Chess of China by Dennis Leventhal. (A good read, if you find it.) 
    9. Shang Chi--The Chinese Chess by Chen-Chih Sun. 
 
    Other books which have chapters on Chinese chess: 
 
    The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants by David Pritchard, 1994.
    Chapters on Chinese chess & several of its variants.
    
    The Board Game Book by R.C. Bell. ISBN 0-85685-447-6. p24-25. 
    2 page spread including board. Paper/card pieces with the book. 
 
    Board and Table Games of Many Civilisations by R.C. Bell. ISBN 
    0-486-23855-5. p66-68. 
 
    Games Ancient and Oriental and How to Play Them (Dover reprint of  
    19th C book)by Edward Falkener. ISBN 0-486-20739-0. p 143-145. 
    
    Chess Variations: Ancient, Regional & Modern by John Gollon. Tuttle, 
    1985.  Describes Chinese chess, Korean chess, and 3-player Chinese chess. 
     
    Oriental Board Games by David Pritchard. 
 
    FICTION 
 
    A critically-acclaimed novella about Xiangqi is Ah Cheng's 
    story, "Qi Wang" [Chess King].  This novella can be found 
    in the journal _Chinese Literature_ (Summer 1985), pages  
    84-132. 
 
 
 
13  Where can I buy books? 
 
    
    Chinese Chess (Lau) & Let's Play Chinese Chess are available from:     
    
    Yutopian Enterprises 
    2255 - 29th St.
    Suite 3
    Santa Monica, CA 90405
    phone: (310) 392-7988
    Fax:   (310) 392-7598
    e-mail: yutopian@netcom.com
    Home Page: http://www.best.com/~webwind/go/gostuff.html

    The Chinese Chess Institute sells some books written in Chinese. A 
    translation guide is provided. See address for XiangQi Review below. 
 
    David Wurman has written two books in German: 
    1. Chinesisches Schach/Koreanisches Schach. 1991. 350 pages. 
       Price: DM 48 (about $32)  
    2. Chinesisches Schach Leicht Gemacht! Regeln. Tricks und Taktik. 
       1993. 192 pages. Price: DM 14.90 (about $9.25) 
 
    These books may be ordered from Wurman at this address: 
 
    [This address may not be current] 
    David Wurman 
    c/o Haya Wurman 
    3.A Keller St 
    Hacarmel, Haifa  34483 
    Israel 
 
 
14  Can you recommend some magazines? 
 
 
    1. XiangQi Review is the best English language publication. It is 
       published 6 times a year, usually 20 pages. $10/year in US, or 
       $15/year overseas. Address is: 
       Chinese Chess Institute 
       PO Box 5305 
       Hercules, CA  94547-5305 
       (We recommend a subscription as a much better value than any 
       of the English books.) 
 
    2. Chinese Chess Newsletter. Published from England, so focuses on 
       Europe. The "usual" subscription rate is 10 pounds a year. Not much 
       on production quality but contains useful news. Recent information 
       suggests this newsletter is only published sporadically at this time. 
       
       C.K. Lai 
       12 Lagan House 
       Sumner Rd 
       London SE15 5RB England 
 
    3. Chinese Chess News/Korean Chess.  
       [This newsletter is apparently no longer being published.] 
.
       David Rockwell 
       8514 Trumbull Ave 
       Skokie, IL  60076-2440 
 
       Or, if writing from Europe: 
       Malcolm Horne 
       10B Windsor Square 
       Exmouth, Devon 
       EX8 1JU England 
 
    4. Xiangqi Mi Tong Bao.  In Italian. Published annually. 
       Agostino Guberti 
       Via Don Gnocchi 20/D 
       20075 Lodi (Milano), Italy 
       Covers news from Italy & Europe. 
 
    5. Variant Chess: The Magazine to Expand Your Chess Horizons 
       Peter Wood 
       39 Linton Rd, Hastings, 
       East Sussex, TN34 1TW 
       England       4 issues per year 
       1-year subscription: 8 pounds (UK), 9 pd (surface), 11 pd (air) 
       This newsletter includes a column on Chinese chess, as well as 
       information on Shogi and Chess variants.  Very enlightening for
       fans interested in the major chess-type variants.
 
    6. Xiangqi-Kurier.  In German.  
       Claus Tempelmann 
       Lubeckstr. 48 
       38108 Braunschweig 
       Germany 
       Coverage of the extensive Xiangqi activities in Germany. 
       E-mail address: claus.tempelmann@ifn-magdeburg.de 
 
    7. Xiangqi Newsletter.  In Japanese.  Bi-monthly. 8-20 pp. 
       Japan Xiangqi Association 
       4-1-15 Shimoigusa, Suginamiku, 
       Tokyo 167 
       Japan         
     
 
15  Where can I buy Sets? 
 
    
    From Yutopian Enterprises or at your nearest Chinatown if you  
    live near a large city, or from Chinese or Vietnamese grocery  
    & gift shops in smaller cities. 
 
    Yutopian Enterprises sells a selection of sets & books. Either 
    write to the address given above, or contact them on the Internet. 
    Yutopian sells a wooden Xiangqi board, which we recommend 
    because the paper boards you get with many sets don't last long. 
 
 
16  Is there any software available? 
 
     
    There are 6 commercial programs for PCs: Chinese Chess Master III,  
    Uncle Wang, XIAN, Mind Games, and Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess, and  
    "World Chess Series One: Chinese Chess." 
   
    Chinese Chess Master III (DOS version)    $44.00 + $4.00 shipping 
    Supports Sound Blaster. 70% English screen. Easy to use. VGA display. 
    Good for advanced players.  Beautiful graphics and 36 opponents to 
    choose from. Very strong.  Beginners new to Chinese chess may want 
    to select a different program.  The easiest opponent of Chinese Chess 
    Master III is very difficult to defeat, and you cannot change the 
    strength level. Not many features, just a really tough game.  
    Ordering information: 
 
    Data Station 
 
    No returns! Be sure that you know what you want before buying. 
    Foreign orders please add $20.00, otherwise send a Post Office US$ 
    money-order to eliminate the extra $20.00 charge.  Send a letter with 
    the product name, ship to address, phone number, check, the product 
    name to: (Foreign shipping (S/H) charge might vary) 
     
    P.O. BOX 91654 
    City of Industry, CA 91715-1654 
    (213) 344-8595 
    E-Mail bamboo@delphi.com 
 
    (California residents please add 8.25% sales tax.) 
    Add $4.00 shipping charge when ordering from Data Station. 
    (Make check payable to Data Station) 
 
    Yutopian Enterprises 
 
    Yutopian Enterprises also sells Chinese Chess Master III. 
    $44.00 + $1.50 shipping. 
    See address above. 
 
    Uncle Wang 
    Price: $28 
    Features: 8 skill levels, position setup, save games, take back  
    moves, change sides. 
 
    XIAN  
    Available from Data Station or Yutopian  
    $29.95 + $4 shipping 
    Features: 9 skill levels, position setup, save positions, take back 
    moves, change sides. 
    
    Xian for Windows is also available [?] 
     
    World Chess Series One: Chinese Chess (DOS) (Pachyderm Software) 
    Notes: A new program. Features: multiple time & depth settings; position 
    setup; suggest moves; handicap play; modify piece values. Mouse support. 
     
    China Books & Periodicals, Inc. 
    2929 - 24th St. 
    San Francisco, CA  94110 
    Phone: (415) 282-2994 
    FAX:   (415) 282-0994 
    $39.95 + $4 shipping 
     
    Mind Games 
    A new Windows program.  Software includes Chinese Chess (Chinese 
    pieces), Go, Chess, Backgammon, and several other strategy 
    games.  Available at chain computer stores, such as CompUSA. 
    $29.95. 
 
    Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess (the weakest commercial program) 
    $49.95 
    (Exciting graphics) 
 
     
    MACINTOSH SHAREWARE PROGRAM 
     
    For the Macintosh, there is a shareware program written by Tie Zeng 
    available on the Internet. Ftp to: mac.archive.umich.edu.  
    The program is in the path: /mac/game/board and is called  
    chinesechesspro1.01.cpt.hqx.  
 
    DOS SHAREWARE PROGRAMS 
 
    There are a few shareware DOS Chinese chess program available on the  
    Internet.  Two are available via anonymous ftp at caissa.onenet.net. 
    The stronger program is currently in the path:  
    /pub/chess/DOS/OLD-STUFF/cch.zip.  Type "play" to start. Unfortunately,
    this program seems to freeze the computer after exiting from the 
    program.  The other, weaker, program is in the path:  
    /pub/chess/DOS/OLD-STUFF/chinechs.exe.  
    
    For public domain freeware/shareware info, get issue 17 of 
    ShareDebate International (dbate017.zip).  For information 
    on Korean chess, get issue 18 (dbate018.zip).  For software 
    to enable users to create their own Chinese/Korean Chess 
    board & pieces, get issue 19 (dbate019.zip).  The ftp address 
    is: ftp.ifcss.org & the path is: /pub/software/dos/misc/. 
     
    WINDOWS SHAREWARE PROGRAM 
     
    There is a new Windows Chinese Chess program available. 
    It is currently available at ftp.ifcss.org in the 
    path: /pub/software/ms-win/game/ccchess.zip. 
 
     
    DATABASE PROGRAM 
     
    CCHVIEW is a popular database for viewing games from ICCS, games  
    posted to rec.games.chinese-chess, or your own games.  
    Available via anonymous ftp at ftp.io.org in the path  
    /pub/users/sung/xq/software/cchviw12.zip. 
     
    OPENING ANALYSIS 
     
    Opening analysis related to the "Wind Screen Horse" is available via 
    ftp at....?? 
 
    COMBINATION SKILL 
 
    A killing moves series is available via ftp at ftp.ifcss.org????? 
 

17  Are There Any Chinese Chess Home Pages on the Internet?

 
    XIANGQI WWW PAGES 
       
    1. Peter Sung's Page 
       
      Address:  http://www.io.org/~sung/xq/xq.html 
 
    Peter Sung's WWW Chinese-Chess Home Page contains many items: 
      *The latest WXF Bulletin, with all the Xiangqi news from 
. around the world. 
      *A copy of this FAQ. 
      *The Asian rules & diagrams of positions from the rule book. 
      *A link to the rec.games.chinese-chess newsgroup. 
      *A link to ICCS. 
      *Rating Lists 
      *Software 
      *Game Records 
      *Etc.

    2. Roger Hare's Page 
 
       Roger Hare's Chinese Chess Page is at: 
       http://www.ed.ac.uk/~rjhare/xiangqi/intro.html 
 
   3.  Roleigh Martin's Page

       http://www.xmission.com/~gastown/afi/ch_index.htm
   
       *Information on Chinese Chess & Korean Chess

   4.  The ICCS Home Page

       http://www.math.harvard.edu/~xichen/ICCS.html
       *Information about the Internet Chinese Chess Server.

   5.  Hans Bodlaender's Home Page
       http://www.cs.ruu.nl/~hansb/d.chessvar/chin.faq.html
       *Includes an HTML version of this FAQ


    XIANGQI FONT

    Anyone interested in publishing his own material on Xiangqi
    may want to purchase fonts available from:

    Alpine Electronics
    526 West 7th St.
    Powell, WY  82435
    Internet: smiths@aca.nwc.whecn.edu
    Price:  $29.00

    You get 4 fonts: Beijing, Beijing Alternate, Beijing International,
    and Beijing English.  Two of the fonts use Chinese pieces, and two 
    use English letters.  The fonts are True Type & work with Windows.  
    There is also a Macintosh version.  You may want to contact Alpine
    and ask for the printed catalog to take a look at them.  Alpine also 
    sells fonts for Shogi (Japanese & English pieces), Chess, Go, etc.


 
18  Can I play opponents by using my computer? 
 
    You can play real time games on the International Chinese Chess Server  
    (ICCS).  Telnet to: coolidge.math.harvard.edu 5555 or 128.103.28.15 5555 
    Login with a name & choose a password. Type "help" 
    or "help intro" if you're new. To register your name after you  
    login, type "register [your e-mail address]."   
 
    There are 2 backup Chinese chess servers: 
    
    1.  palmer.wellesley.edu 5555

    2.  decollem2.berkeley.edu 5555
     

    SERVER CLIENTS 
 
    UNIX

    iccs-1.3.tar.gz is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/unix/misc/iccs-1.3.tar.gz.

    X-WINDOWS

    Cchess is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/x-win/games/cchess.tar.gz

    xcchess is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/x-win/games/xcchess.tar.gz.

    xiccc is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/x-win/games/xiccc203.tar.gz.

    xicch is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/x-win/games/xicchv1.1.p3.tar.gz

    xiccplus is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/x-win/games/xiccplus-2.1.tar.gz.

    MACINTOSH

    ICCS is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/mac/misc/ICCS_client1.0b3.sea.hqx.

    chinese-chess-pro is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/mac/misc/chinese-chess-pro-101.hqx.

    PC-DOS

    ZUVGA is available at caissa.onenet.net in the path:  
    /pub/chess/DOS/zuvga060.zip.  
 
    DOSICCS is available at ftp.ifcss.org in the path: 
    /pub/software/dos/misc/dosiccs.zip.
    This program is for PCs with network cards. 
 
    CCHTSR is at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/dos/misc/cchtsr09.zip.

    PC MS-WINDOWS

    Peter Sung's ICCSWK is available at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/ms-win/game/iccswk20.zip.
    For ICCS & Windows & Winsock (Slip/ppp/ethernet).

    Winiccs is available at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/ms-win/game/win-iccs.zip.
    Makes you feel like you are playing on a UNIX machine,
    for modem or ethernet.
 
    cccterm is available at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/ms-win/game/cccterm.zip.
    For modems.

    iccstm is available at ftp.ifcss.org in the path:
    /pub/software/ms-win/game/iccstm20.zip.

    HUMAN-HUMAN INTERNET TOOL 
 
    There is a new human-human Chinese Chess Internet tool. 
    It is available at ftp.ifcss.org in the path: 
    /pub/software/ms-win/game/tchess11.zip. 
 
 
 
19  Are there any clubs where I can find opponents? 
 
     
    USA 
 
    [DISCLAIMER: The USA clubs are located in Chinatowns.  The regular
    clientele may or may not be receptive to westerners.  We have NO
    reports of any of these clubs having welcoming attitudes to
    outsiders.  Just the opposite.  If any adventurous souls want to 
    tread inside & report on your experiences, by all means, do so.]
 
     
    LOS ANGELES

    Los Angeles Chinese Chess Association  
    885 S. Atlantic Blvd. 
    Monterey Park, CA  91754
    Tel: 1-818-458-3255
    Fax: 1-818-308-3539
    [This is an individual's address & not a club.]

    NEW YORK

    New York Chinese Chess Association 
    21 Division St 
    New York, NY  10002 
    FAX:        1 212 966-7360 
    Phone:      1 212 219-8858 
 
    United East Athletic Association, Xiangqi Club 
    70 Mulberry St, Room 201 
    New York, NY  10003 
    Phone:      1 718 273-4915 
 
    SAN FRANCISCO

    Chinese Cultural Service Center 
    832 Stockton St. 
    San Francisco, CA  94108 
    Phone:      1 415 982-4672 
    Hours: M-F 9:30 - 5pm 
.   S-S 10:00 - 4pm 
    [If looking for a club in the Bay Area, try here first. 
    Looks like people could be found playing here any time of the day. 
    There is a large main room with people (usually a somewhat 
    older crowd) playing Xiangqi, Weiqi, reading newspapers, etc. 
    It's on one of Chinatown's main streets.  Just walk by and
    look through the glass doors to see what's going on. :-) ]
     
    Xiangqi Association of America 
    153-A Waverly Pl 
    San Francisco, CA  94108 
    Phone:      1 415 391-1236 
    [A Chinese fan in the USA reports that he got a very chilly 
    reception when he visited this club, and doesn't recommend
    this place.  We strongly suggest you try the other SF club first.]
    

    CANADA 
 

    CALGARY

    Calgary Chinese Chess Association 
    107A Ng Tower Center 
    115 - 2nd Ave SW 
    Calgary, Alberta, CANADA  T2P 3C6 
    FAX:        1 403 288-1897 
    Phone:      1 403 247-4808 
 
    EDMONTON

    Edmonton Chinese Chess Association 
    9645 - 101A Ave 
    Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA  T5H 0Y1 
    FAX:        1 403 429-3383 
    Phone:      1 403 424-2850 

    MONTREAL

    Montreal Chinese Chess Association 
    8655 Forbin Janson 
    Montreal, Quebec, CANADA  H1K 2J8 
    FAX:        1 514 861-6223 
    Phone:      1 514 352-0288 
 
    TORONTO

    Toronto Xiangqi Association 
    4790 Creditview Rd 
    Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA  L5M 5M4 
    (416) 492-7581 
    FAX:        1 905 821-9947 
    Phone:      1 905 819-8263 
 
    VANCOUVER

    University of British Columbia Chinese Chess Club
    President: Raymond Chang
    Mailing address:
    1896 - E. 33rd Ave.
    Vancouver, B.C., CANADA  V5N 3E4
    Fax:        1 604 327-9486
    Phone:      1 604 327-9468
    Internet:   rchang@ee.ubc.ca

    Vancouver Chinese Chess Association 
    2/F, 21 E, Pender St 
    Vancouver, B.C., CANADA  V6A 1S9 
    FAX:        1 604 646-7243 
    Phone:      1 604 682-2999 
    
    WINNIPEG

    Winnipeg Xiangqi Association 
    33 Surfside Crescent 
    Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA  R3X 1P2 
    FAX:        1 204 256-3892 
    Phone:      1 204 253-5325 


    EUROPE 
     

    FINLAND

    "The Friends of Chinese Chess in Finland" 
    [Kiinalaisen shakin ystavat Suomessa ry] 
    President: Jouni Tolonen 
    Toivoniementie 1 A 816 
    FIN-90500 Oulu 
    Finland 
    Phone:      358-81-3115456 
    Secretary: Raimo Lindroos 
    Ahokuja 2 
    FIN-04430 Jarvenpaa 
    Finland 
    FAX:        358-0-287174 
 
    FRANCE

    Association De Xiangqi En France
    3, Av De Choisy 
    Paris, FRANCE  75013
    Phone:      33-1-45-83-16-46
    Fax:        33-1-45-84-1055

    GERMANY

    German Xiangqi Association 
    Am Roetepfuhl 24 
    12349 Berlin 
    Germany 
    Phone: 0049-30-742 16 33 
    Fax:   0049-30-742 16 33 
    e-mail: sirius@berlin.snafu.de 

    ITALY

    Federazione Italiana Xiangqi  
    Via Don Gnocchi 
    20/D, 20075 Lodi (Milano)  ITALY 
    FAX:        39 371 420-451 
    Phone:      39 371 430-282 
 
    NETHERLANDS

    Stichting Chinese Sport Federatie in Netherlands 
    Oltmanstraat 20, 
    NL-3842 ZX Harderwijk,  HOLLAND 
    FAX:        31 3410 20221 
    Phone:      31 3410 18909 

    UNITED KINGDOM

    United Kingdom Chinese Chess Association 
    12 Lagan House, Sumner Rd 
    London SE15 5RB  ENGLAND 
    Phone:      44 81 693-4779 
 
 
    ASIA 
 
    AUSTRALIA
    
    Australia Xiangqi Association 
    Dept of Medicine, Level 5, Block 5 
    Monash Medical Centre 
    Clayton Rd 
    Clayton, VIC 3168  AUSTRALIA 
    FAX:        61 3 563-2578 
    Phone:      61 3 364-9972 
    
    
    BRUNEI
    
    Brunei Chinese Chess 
    Blk C, #3 Abd Razak Complex Gadong 3180 
    PO Box 946 Bandar Seri Begawan 1909 
    BRUNEI Darussalam 
    FAX:        673 2 426-191 
    Phone:      673 2 424-307 
 

    CHINA, People's Republic Of
 
    Chinese Xiangqi Association 
    No. 80 Tian Tan Dong Rd 
    Beijing 100061  CHINA 
    FAX:        86 10 711-5176 
    Phone:      86 10 711-1614 
 
    Shanghai Chess Association
    4, Lane 591, Nanjing Road W 
    Shanghai 200041 China
    Phone:      86-21-255-2341
 

    HONG KONG
    
    Hong Kong Chinese Chess Association 
    249-253 Reclamation St 
    Flat E/F, 4/F Wang Cheung Commercial Bldg 
    Kowloon,  HONG KONG 
    FAX:        852 2 770-8072 
    Phone:      852 2 771-3751 
 
    
    INDONESIA
    
    Indonesia Chinese Chess Association 
    Jl. Per Agalan I No. 35 
    Jakarta  INDONESIA 
    FAX:        62 21 354-235 
    Phone:      62 21 808-2443 

    
    JAPAN
    
    Japan Xiangqi Association 
    4-1-15 Shimoigusa, Suginamiku 
    Tokyo 167  JAPAN 
    FAX:        81 3 371-67169 
    Phone:      81 3 390-44368 
    
    
    MACAU
    
    Associacao De Xadrez Chines De Macau 
    Av. Do Almt. Lacerda 89A EDF. 
    Luenfung No. 1 A  MACAU 
    FAX:        853 210-110 
    Phone:      853 210-110 
    

    MALAYSIA, EAST
    
    Sabah Chess Association Union 
    PO Box 792 
    90008 Sandakan 
    Sabah,  EAST MALAYSIA 
    FAX:        60 89 272-282 
    Phone:      60 89 272-277 


    MALAYSIA, WEST
    
    Malaysia Chinese Chess Association 
    11, Jalan Sultan, 5000 
    Kuala Lumpur,  MALAYSIA 
    FAX:        60 3 238-9045 
    Phone:      60 3 238-1113 

 
    PHILIPPINES
    
    Philippines Federal Chess Enthusiast Assn 
    945 Gandara St., Room 219 
    Manila,  PHILIPPINES 
    FAX:        63 2 530-1170 
    Phone:      63 2 486-218 
 

    SINGAPORE
    
    Singapore Xiangqi General Association
    12 Fan Yoong Road 
    Singapore 
    Republic of Singapore 2262
    Phone:      65 2620388
    Fax:        65 2620288

    
    TAIWAN (Republic of China)
    
    Taipei Chinese Chess Association 
    2/F, 248 Yin Pin Bei Rd, 2nd Lane 
    Taipei  TAIWAN 
    FAX:        886 2 557-4364 
    Phone:      886 2 553-3741 
 
    
    THAILAND
    
    Thailand Xiangqi Association 
    78 Soipantachit 2 Lanes, Mytricht Rd 
    Bangkok,  THAILAND  10100 
    FAX:        66 2 226-5732 
    Phone:      66 2 221-6204 

    
    VIETNAM
    
    The Chess Federation of Vietnam
    (Vietnam Xiangqi Sub-Association)
    36 Tran Phu St.
    Hanoi, Vietnam
    FAX:        84 8 232-455
    Phone:      84 8 232-471
    "The National Xiangqi Organization of Vietnam."

    Viet-Nam Hochiminh City Dist. 5 Chess Assn 
    100/6B Hung-Vuong F.9.Q.5 
    Hochiminh City  VIETNAM 
    FAX:        84 8 325-236 
    Phone:      84 8 350-003 
 
 
 
20  Is there a Chinese chess version of the United States Chess Federation? 
 
 
    No. Organization of Chinese chess in the United States lags behind 
    most other countries, including those in Europe. Also, Europe seems 
    to enjoy a great deal of cooperation between Asian "experts" and 
    western "novices," unlike the situation in the US. Chinese chess 
    "organization" in the US is basically confined to Chinatown clubs, 
    which are not usually as accessible as the tourist shops. A suggestion  
    for future development would be to organize Chinese chess activities at  
    regular chess or go clubs & then try to branch out on your own after a  
    regular clientele has been established. Perhaps try to find a local  
    Chinese chess expert who would agree to give a simul or lecture to  
    drum up interest. 
 
 
21  What are some of the top tournaments in the world? 
 
 
    Here are most of the top Asian events, and the organization 
    each is affiliated with: 
 
    A. China Xiangqi Association 
 
.1. 5 Ram Cup 
.   Held in Guangzhou in December or January; entrance is 
.   limited to Chinese National Champions. Latest: 12/95. 
.   Current champion: Lv Qin 
 
.2. YinLi Cup 
.   Held in Guilin.  Usually April, May or June. Latest: 4/95 
.   Current champion: Xu YinChuan 
 
.3. Chinese National Team Championship 
.   Held first half of each year (usually April to June); 
.   most recently held in Emeishan (Sichuan), 5/95. 
.   Current champion--men:   Locomotive (Railroads) 
...     women: Jiangsu 
 
.4. Chinese National Championship 
.   Held second half of each year (usually September to November); 
.   Latest: 10/95 
.   Current champion: Zhao GuoRong 
.   Women: Wu Xia (Nanjing)  
 
    B. Asian Xiangqi Federation 
 
.1. Asian Cup [Team] 
.   Held every even-numbered year since 1980 (October to 
.   November usually). China has won the men's and women's 
.   trophies every time. Latest: 11/94 
.   Current champion--men:   China 
...     women: China 
 
.2. Asian Xiangqi Master Championships 
.   Held odd-numbered years, timing varies; most recently held 
.   in Kuala Lumpur, 11/1995. 
.   Current champion: Men:   Xu YinChuan 
...     Women: Zhang GuoFeng
 
    C. World Xiangqi Federation 
 
.1. The World Cup 
.   The 4th World Cup was held September 1-10 1995 in Singapore.  
.   Cycle frequency: every 2 years? 
.   Current champion--men:    Lv Qin (China)        
...     women:  Huang YuYing (Toronto)     
...     team:   China      
...     non-Chinese: Vo Van Hoang Tung (Vietnam) 
 
    All of the above listed tournaments are essentially "closed" events, 
    meaning that unless you are invited, you cannot participate.  CXA events 
    are for mainland Chinese only.  AXF events are for their 13 Asian 
    member nations. The only tournament above that is open to "foreigners" 
    is the World Cup, which is still by invitation only. 
 
    Other Tournaments: 
 
    JiaBo Cup [Team]  (CXA) 
    Match between Shanghai and Guangdong. Latest: 3rd/1995 at Guangzhou. 
    Current champion--men:   Guangdong  
..    women:   Shanghai 
 
    QiWang Title (CXA) [Chess King] 
    Current champion: Lv Qin  [defeated Li LaiQun 2/94] 
 
    Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Triangular Match [Team]  (AXF?) 
    12 matches of this annual event (since 1979) have been played (except 
    for 3-year interruption due to Tiananmen incident). Guangdong has won 
    every match. 
    Current champion: Guangdong 
 
    WangWei Cup [CXA] 
    Held in June.  12 players from the top of the Chinese rating list. 
    Current champion:  Xu YinChuan  (6/95) 
 
     
    ASIA 
 
    Brunei Championship 
    Current Champion: Chin Kok Liang (1994) 
 
    East Malaysia Championship 
    Current Champion:  Kho Kei Kuan (1993) 
 
    Macau Championship 
    Current Champion: Chan Tin Man (1995) 
 
    Philippines Championship 
    Current Champion: Kung Kar Cheung (1995) 
 
    Singapore Championship 
    Current Champion: Koh Sin (1995) 
 
    Taiwan Championship 
    Current Champion: Wu GuiLin (1994) 
 
    Thailand Championship 
    Current Champion: Xie Gai Zhou  (1995) 
 
    Vietnam Championship 
    Current Champion: Mai Thanh Minh (1995) 
 
 
    EUROPE 
 
    European Championship  
    Current champion: He ZhiMin (Italy) (1995) 
     
    French Championship 
    Current Champion: Dang Thanh Trung 
 
    Netherlands Championship 
    Current Champion: Cheung Wing On (1995) 
 
    United Kingdom Championship 
    Current champion: Wang ShunQi (1995) 
     
    CANADA 
 
    Canadian Championship 
 
    The Fifth Canadian Xiangqi Championship was held from  
    September 2 to 5, 1994 in Montreal Canada. 248 players coming from  
    Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal  
    participated in the Championship (maximum 4 players from each team).  
    After a 5 round tense competition in three days, Vancouver, Calgary  
    and Edmonton won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for the team competition.  
    John Lee (Lee ZiHan) from Vancouver, Ji Zhongqi from Calgary and 
    Steve Wong from Toronto won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in individuals. 
     
    Current Champion: John Lee (also known as Li ZiHan) (Vancouver) 
 
    Toronto Championship 
 
    YuYing Huang beated Phuc Nguyen by a score of 3 to 1 to win the  
    Toronto Open title twice in a row.   
 
    The overall standing in the TXA open:  
    1st YuYing Huang  
    2nd Phuc Nguyen  
    3rd Billy Kwok  
    4th Ban Lo  
    5th Paul Ng and Elton Yuen  
    7th WanMan Huang  
    8th Steve Wong  
 
    Current Champion: Huang YuYing (Former top female star of China) 
     
    ICCS

    The current ICCS Team Champion is Canada  (2/96)

    USA 
 
    Don't ask. 
 
 
    AXF (Asian Xiangqi Federation) 13 Members: 
 
.Brunei                     Philippines 
.China                      Singapore 
.East Malaysia              Taiwan 
.Hong Kong                  Thailand 
.Indonesia                  Vietnam 
.Japan                      West Malaysia 
.Macao 
 
 
 
22  Who are some of the strongest players around the world? 
 
    Most of the strongest players live in China. Here are the Chinese 
    National Ratings for the second half of 1995: 
     
    *** 
    MEN 
    *** 
     
    Xu YinChuan    2569  (Finally overtakes Lv for the top spot)
    Lv Qin         2564  (Again the 5-Ram Champion) 
    Hu RongHua     2514  (Who's better all-time: Hu or Yang?)
    Zhao GuoRong   2512  (Three-time Chinese Ntnl Champ--1990, 1992 & 1995) 
    Liu DaHua      2466  (Blindfold champ; Won CNC in 1980 & 1981) 
    Li LaiQun      2466  (Businessman stays the same)
    Xu TianHong    2465  (Won Third World Cup) 
    Tao HanMing    2455  (Still rising)
    Bu FengBo      2443  (Remains in top 10) 
    Zhang Qiang    2430  (Beijing star rises to top 10)


    INTERNATIONAL GRANDMASTERS 
 
    The following players are International Grandmasters 
    (Title bestowed by AXF): 
 
    Hu RongHua 
    Lv Qin 
    Xu YinChuan 
    Zhao GuoRong 
    Liu DaHua 
    Li LaiQun 
    Xu TianHong 
    Tao HanMing  
    Lin JianZhi (Taiwan) 
    Wu GuiLin   (Taiwan) 
    Ma ZhongWei (Taiwan) 
    Chiu YuKuen (Hong Kong) 
    Ifan Minarta (Indonesia) 
    Mai Thanh Minh (Vietnam) 
 
    CHINESE GRANDMASTERS (Title bestowed by CXA) 
     
    Li YiTing (retired) 
    Wang JiaLiang (mostly retired) 
    Yang GuanLin  (mostly retired) 
     
 
 
    INTERNATIONAL MASTERS 
     
    The following players are International Masters (incomplete): 
 
    Chen Tin Men (Macau) 
    Lee Kheng Soi (Singapore) 
    Hui Chi Kwong (East Malaysia) 
    Miao YongPeng (China) 
    Wong Yung Fai (East Malaysia) 
 
 
    ***** 
    WOMEN 
    ***** 
     
    Hu Ming        2323  (Hebei star maintains huge rating lead) 
    Shan XiaLi     2265  (Longtime Shanghai star) 
    Wang LinNuo    2262  (Huge leap into 3rd)
    Chen ShuLan    2242  (Hubei star)
    Huang Wei      2230  (Jiangsu star)
    Gao Hua        2229  (Strong player from Anhui) 
    Liu BiJun      2229  (Guangdong/Australia star) 
    Zhang GuoFeng  2215  (Half of Jiangsu's dynamic duo)
    Guo LiPing     2207  (Heilongjiang star)
    OuYang QiLin   2205  (Shanghai star) 
 
    The following players are International Grandmasters: 
 
    CHINA
    
    Gao Hua
    Hu Ming 
    Huang Wei 
    Xie SiMing (retired)

    SINGAPORE

    Teo SimHua 
     
    VIETNAM

    Le Thi Houng 
    
 
    The following players are International Masters (incomplete): 
 
    ?? 
 
 
    OTHER COUNTRIES 
 
    ASIA 
 
 
    Australia 
 
    Yan, Andrew 
    Lu, George 
    Liu BiJun  (female star from China) 
     
    Brunei 
 
    Chin Kok Liang 
    Bong Choon Mee 
    Chieng Hie Kwong 
 
 
    Hong Kong 
 
    Chiu YuKuen 
    Lai Robin 
    Yung TakKeung 
     
    Indonesia 
 
    Ifan ChungMing [Minarta] 
    Yang Xiang Xi 
    Li Pi Jiang 
    Wu XiuPing (female star) 
 
     
    Japan 
 
    Hattori Tsugumitsu 
    Kano Kunihiro 
    Shoshi Kazuharu 
    Kumagai Yasuhiro 
    Shintani Shinichi 
    Shibazaki Junko (1995 Japan Ladies Champion) 
 
    [Shen Hao is apparently no longer in Japan.] 
    
    Malaysia, East 
 
    Kho Kei Kuan 
    Chieng Kuok Wu 
    Chieng Ming Chuo (female star) 
     
    Malaysia, West 
 
    Li JiaQing 
    Chen JieYu 
 
     
    Singapore 
 
    Lee KhengSoi 
    Teo SimHua   (female star) 
    Koh Sin 
    Chow Bon Tong 
    Yang LongZhu (1995 Singapore Ladies Champion) 
 
    Taiwan 
     
    Ma Zhong Wei 
    Wu GuiLin 
    Liang JinYi 
    Liu HongXiu  (1995 Taiwan Ladies Champion) 
 
    Thailand 
 
    Ma WuLian 
    Luo ZhuoYing 
    Xie Gai Zhou 
    Zheng Yong Ching 
 
 
    Vietnam 
 
    Mai Thanh Minh 
    Truong A Minh 
    Le Thi Huong  (1995 Vietnam Ladies Champion) 
    Vo Van Hoang Tung 
     
    EUROPE 
     
     
    England 
 
    Guo ShuLong 
    Wang ShunQi 
    Lai C.K. 
    Liu S.H. 
    Leung K.W. 
 
    Finland 
 
    Roto, Matias  
    Nguyen The Nhan  
     
    France 
 
    Dang Thanh Trung 
    Woo Wei Cheung 
 
 
    Germany 
     
    Siewert, Hajo
    Naegler, Michael
    Schaefer, Norbert
    Lam Keang Chhay 
    Huebner, Robert (GM of chess) 
    Kha Huynh Van 
    Scholz, Stefan 
    Huang ShueKong 
    Pu MingGang 
 
    Italy 
 
    He ZhiMin
    Lin Ye
    Yu JianGuo 
    Hu YongXi 
    Hu YongSheng
 
    Netherlands 
 
    Cheung Wing On 
    Ng Wing Sang 
    Hsu Akei 
 
    Norway 
 
    Xu JueMin 
     
    Canada 
 
    Huang YuYing 
    Lee, John (also known as Li ZiHan)
    Wong, Steve 
    Fung, Stephen 
    Yuen, Elton 
    Sung, Peter 
 
 
    USA 
 
    Lee, Michael (Also known as Li BiChi) (SF Bay Area) 
    Yan DotSun (also known as Zhen DaXin) (San Francisco)
    Chen TanHua (New York) 
    Gao WeiXuan (New York) (1995 ICCS Champion)
    Tom, Bang (New York) 
    Tom, Jing (New York) 
    Mou Hai Qin (New York) 
    Yang, Frank (Los Angeles) 
    So BingCham (Los Angeles) 
 
 
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End of FAQ 
 

