Chinese Chess (xiangqi) Lesson #1

For more information: www.ElephantChess.com

Chinese chess, or xiangqi, is the world's most popular board game. This video is part #1 of an introduction to playing this challenging game of strategy using the internationalized double-sided playing pieces of the Elephant Chess Club.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Chinese
• chess
• xiangqi
• board
• game
• challenging
• strategy
• China
• culture

[fangchengchen]

i'm chinese and i freaking like you, because you introduce chinese culture to people

[ElephantChess]

@fangchengchen

Thanks - that means a lot to me!

[Scythemeup]

general! two people died for calling it king

[ElephantChess]

@Scythemeup

Interesting comment! Could you tell us the story about the people who died for calling the piece a king? Maybe it would have been better to have called it a general, but I used king just to make the instructions easier for western chess players. I called "xiang" elephant for both red and green, but red xiang might better be translated as advisor. Anyway, I think the important first step is to learn how to play. The minutiae can come later. What do you think?

[Halokid998]

Western chess disliked this 5 times. thanks for teaching me how to play xianqi!

[CeeEmmz]

this is the only board game i dont get hehehe... tanx for the help dude :)

[fangchengchen]

@ElephantChess No, thank  you :)

[RYANMOW]

wtf where u get those pieces lol double sided? lmao

[spicytuna64]

wherever you got the fact that the cannon maintains the 5-point piece value is incorrect. the cannon relies on pieces as screens, so it can attack. as the game progresses, more and more screens or pieces disappear, weakening the cannon. the horse is the exact vice versa, and this contrast, in my opinion is the most interesting think in xiangqi.

[Scythemeup]

@ElephantChess basically, they used to used to use emperors (kings), but a chinese emperor found out and executed them. thus the "king piece" became general.