Introduction to Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) How to Play - Rick Knowlton - AncientChess.com

[@AncientChess]

Hey my Chess Friends! I appear in this new 4-hour film series on the Culture of Chess! INFO AND DOWNLOAD AT ideasroadshow.com/chess/ WATCH THE TRAILER AT kzbin.info/www/bejne/sH3RgJ6iedCHfbM DVD FOR PURCHASE ON AMAZON www.amazon.com//dp/B0C13M1B84/

[@kimtimothy3764]

I'm surprised by the book though，its Chinese characters and it said Japanese in front the cover，what a steal ，they are like the Koreans stealing our stuff...

[@kimtimothy3764]

thank you for expanding our culture，great work！why they （youtube） are deleting my comments？what kind of freedom is this？

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for checking out my new video. Please leave a comment and share this with your future Chinese chess buddies!

[@kimtimothy3764]

yes，it means sun or day，but in Chinese it‘s important to use the word 日，coz when we grow we have been taught that the horse moves like a character 日，日 can be both horizontal and vertical ，as you can see the chess board is made of multiple 日，or 田，or 口. And that is why horse is a game changer in Chinese chess，so better to understand and educating the trip of horse by using the character，when you cut 田 in half horizontally and stays horizontal the way it is ，that's the other way of 日（horizontal 日 that horse moves），that way when you move horse you don't need to move twice or calculate，also its a strong connection with Chinese culture and characters

[@rickknowlton9990]

@@kimtimothy3764 Thanks very much for sharing that! I had never heard that before. It is a good way to visualize the horse's range on the board. I very much appreciate this input from someone who knows this game within the Chinese culture!

[@kimtimothy3764]

thank you for expanding our culture！great work！@@rickknowlton9990

[@saracen2633]

It's great that you've taken the subject of one of your old videos and remade and improved every element of it. This is brilliantly done and I hope more people get to see how wonderful and deep Xiangqi is through this video. If the world could embrace it as much as they do traditional chess, imagine the premium sets we could see beyond a plastic sheet and some wooden counter pieces.

[@AncientChess]

Oh yes, those sets exist ... and I think I have one or two of them :) From the best accounts I can find, this great traditional game is actually played by more people than Western chess (!). Players go to great lengths to adorn their lives with sets of the finest materials and craftsmanship. It is only our limited contact with the Chinese sphere that shows this as a minor or cheaply produced game. Here's a little piece of cultural fun, for a taste of Old China...kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2bPgoKqo7uqgKM

[@hiofongcheng4208]

THE BOOK 「MY FIRST KENJI BOOK 」IS PUBLISHED BY THE JAPANESE, NOT THE CHINESE. BUT THE BASIC RULES ARE THE SAME. JUST THE READING VOICE ARE DIFFERENT, SUCH AS 山=MOUNTAIN IN CHINESE LANGUAGE, IT IS CALLED SAN IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE, IT IS CALLED YAMA

[@peterdang3859]

The wooden Xiangqi set that you have with 兵 is on the blue side and 卒 is on the fuchsia side, is actually the chess set made in Vietnam. I have a chess set exactly like that. Some chess sets made in vietnam has 兵 on the blue side, and 卒 on the red side. Some people design it that way, but no matter how they design it, it is still the same piece, has the same movement, and it is part of the same game.

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for that observation. Yes, we are on the same page: a pawn is a pawn! Send your comments any time. AWorldofChess.com/video.html

[@peterdang3859]

@@AncientChess I also forgot to mention, some vietnamese and taiwanese sets use 包 as cannon for the blue side, which I really don't know why, but I know for the fact that it's still part of the same game, anyway.

[@BinnyBongBaron_AoE]

My fiance is Taiwanese and so there's a bit of a cultural gap between myself and her family. Fortunately, I was somehwhat of a chess wiz when I was a teenager and most of her family play xiangqi. You sir, are an absolute legend. You've laid out the rules, explained what seems like all of the less common circumstances and have done so in an easy to digest manner. Thank you very much. Xixi.

[@AncientChess]

Thanks Binny Bong! It's so great to hear that my video has had such a good effect for you! Send comments any time. AncientChess.com

[@MathAdam]

Unintentional ASMR! Very cool. I've just shared to a chess forum on Reddit and a Facebook group. It's a sin that there are only 155 views.

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for the great response. This was only posted last night, so just getting started. Your help in sharing this is greatly appreciated!

[@MrXiangqi]

If you are interested in Xiangqi you may subscribe to kzbin.info for step by step explanation in English for every important move played in Grandmaster games and includes tutorial and hints as well.

[@quach8quach907]

2:27 炮 is picto-phonetic. 火 fire is the semantic, 包 is phonetic.

[@pizzatime9196]

I decided to pick up a xiangqi set to learn how to play and bond with some of my friends and family. I'm glad I came across your channel and I'm astounded by all the content you have. I'm surprised you don't have more views. Anyway, I seem to have fallen down the rabbit hole of all things chess thanks to you. Sincerely hope you'll continue to share your passion to the world

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for the great report on your life with chess. It's very nice news that you can enjoy the games with your friends and family! Send comments and questions any time. aworldofchess.com

[@MrXiangqi]

I love Ancient Chess too. If you are interested in Xiangqi you may subscribe to kzbin.info for step by step explanation in English for every important move played in Grandmaster games and includes tutorial and hints as well.

[@HaydenYung]

As a Chinese chess player, I just want to clarify that after the position at 14:53, if red moves back its middle cannon by two positions (so that the two cannons are next to each other), black is in trouble. Red can easily drive black's cannon away by using it's horses, while black can't do it back. When the other red cannon comes to the middle file, black is very dangerous and is losing.

[@COTUONGHAY.]

Good job bro ❤️ i am from Việt Nam 🇻🇳 i love xiangqi (China Chess) too!

[@AncientChess]

Nice to hear from you! The Vietnamese players I have met are very good! Maybe I will see you sometime on xiangqi.com (my user name is Rick)

[@doandaihiep8515]

As a decent player in both chess and xiangqi, I'll say xiangqi has more entry barriers than chess, not just it has more positions, but the dynamic of the pieces is more sophisticated despite not having pawn structure as in chess. It takes years to fully understand the dynamics, certain classical positions and forecasting as compared to chess. It will be exciting to see more western xiangqi players starting to learn the game

[@sakuragi_hanamichi3263]

Years??

[@rish5777]

Please make a video on "enchantment chess" . It is actually a chess variant in a book but nobody has ever made a video! The book name is : Enchantment Chess: A Magical Variant on the Standard Chess Game

[@drWakt]

Great video! I just started on Xiangqi after being an avid Shogi amateur for 3 years now, I´m glad to add another chess variant to my collection. Thank you for explaining how the cannon works, I had it completely wrong.

[@MrXiangqi]

If you are interested in Xiangqi you may subscribe to kzbin.info for step by step explanation in English for every important move played in Grandmaster games and includes tutorial and hints as well.

[@ericryckman5174]

I love your calm and relaxing voice. Its great to hear you again. I made my own set of this and Shogi. It was as simple as slicing Dowling and mogpodge the print outs onto the wooden disks. Print the board and modpodge it onto the wooden board. The Shogi set took a long time. The cutting of the pentagons and the angles were very tricky. You've inspired me.over the years. When you can't find a set... you make one! Haha!😄 Thanks for the videos

[@AncientChess]

Eric, it's great to hear from you -- thanks for the super comments. I love reading about how you make your own sets, much like I have done many times in years gone by. It sounds like you have some very smart and clever ways of constructing things. I'm so glad these chess forms from around the world are inspiring you!

[@ericryckman5174]

@@AncientChess We (family of 8) have binge watched your videos a couple years ago and learned many ideas of constructing game sets from you. Half the fun was making them. Even the jungle chess was fun to make. I guess you were our teacher. 😊 Definitely our inspiration. It's a pleasure to chat Rick. I might check out the Xiangqi game site. I used to do the Dojo81 for the Shogi. Tough to play on a phone. Need a bigger screen.

[@AncientChess]

@@ericryckman5174 Thanks for the great comment. It is so gratifying how your family is enjoying learning about these chess variants, even making your own sets! Send comments any time.

[@grodric2007]

Wooow... thank you. It was a very instructive explanation. My daoughter and I have just started to play Xiangqi and we find it fascinating. We are both chessplayers. Greetings from Peru.

[@huypham2911]

It’s great that you’re back :) i have watched your videos since 2012

[@Quach7]

炮 is picto-phonetic. 火 = fire, is the semantic component 包 is only the phonetic component.

[@aipa1560]

There is a version of the game called Janggi ( Korean chess ) where the elephant can move all over the board and moves 1 space forward then 2 spaces diagonally.

[@AncientChess]

Yes, although it looks very similar to Chinese chess, the Korean game is very different in the way it is played. We have a video on that as well kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGfIf3qJl5eaa7c

[@sharksbean]

Seems like an interesting game. Love the set you have there!

[@rickknowlton9990]

Thanks! Yeah, i found the pieces on eBay. I wanted to use them for the demo because the characters are clear. Porcelain... nice :)

[@sharksbean]

@@rickknowlton9990 love the finish on the board as well!

[@rickknowlton9990]

Thanks, i get those boards from China. I usually sell them with different sports of pieces

[@pbl6888]

Thanks for that excellent video!

[@rickknowlton9990]

Thanks for the great comment! Send your thoughts any time -- aworldofchess.com

[@juanjosesegura4585]

Nice to see you back!

[@AncientChess]

Thank you Juan Jose! I love making these videos, just hard to find the time. I'll try to keep it up. In the meantime, please share this -- show our friends, they can enjoy Chinese chess!

[@thecalendarninja]

Great work Rick!

[@mariootaku940913]

What's that Beautiful Xiangqi Set?

[@englishpaulm]

This video is amazing. Thank you!

[@AncientChess]

Thanks! I hope this helps make the game more accessible to our Western friends

[@JCMcGee]

Lovely...thanks for this. I'm in Vietnam and have been learning....Co Tuong...The generals Game

[@ExplainDigital]

Can something happen which can make Chinese chess more accessible and interesting? Btw what's your favourite chess variant? Thanks for this amazing video

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for the comment. I think the figurative and western style sets go a long way to making it more accessible -- though as you can see, I do encourage people to learn just a few Chinese characters to bridge the gap. Even so, the game is so different in actual play, it still leaves my head spinning after every game. The new site, xaingqi.com promises to really bring this game to a wider audience. Check it out if you have a chance ... and check back as time goes on to see it develop further. Lately, I've playing some xiangqi online (I'm "rick" on xiangqi.com) and watching Khmer chess (very different) videos on youtube. I would especially like to play shogi, but really prefer to play in real life, so I'll probably play any variant I can, when I find local players who can sit down with me ... when the pandemic eases up ...

[@ExplainDigital]

@@AncientChess I found ur account @rick on this site (my name is @umangggyt ). In my opinion this website is a very good try. But they should improve the quality of logo of people's account so that it will look better. My thoughts about xiangqi : I want to make a big version in which king's palace would be bigger and I will make it more fun 😃 can I do it?

[@AncientChess]

@@ExplainDigital It's not entirely clear to me what you are proposing. Are you inventing a new kind of chess? Please do, and tell us what you have created!

[@ExplainDigital]

@@AncientChess hello! Thanks for telling me about this amazing xiangqi website. I have a gold experience, learnt how to play xiangqi with humans, made new international friends and it also improved my chess skills! Thank you so much.

[@AncientChess]

@@ExplainDigital Thanks, that's a great response! Send comments any time aworldofchess.com

[@antoniussugianto7973]

How about the MONSTROUS chess-like game TAIKYOKU SHOGI?

[@AncientChess]

I know, crazy right? We discuss that in our book ... but any rules for playing it are highly speculative. Amazing though that the game existed! aworldofchess.com

[@sarah-kw1el]

Thank you sir

[@antoniussugianto7973]

Elephent cannot cross the river (cannot go to enemy's field) ?

[@clonetrooper71]

Hey Rick, great video! It makes me more enthusiastic to try this game than I have been in the past. Would you be willing to do this in-depth kanji analysis for shogi too?

[@AncientChess]

Thanks very much, Chris. I would love to get into the shogi characters as well ... but not sure when I'll have the time. Our book goes into quite a bit of detail on those as well as other Japanese variants. Send comments and requests any time and I'll see what I can come up with! aworldofchess.com/video.html

[@NH-zh8mp]

14:37 it's not chariot, it's cannon

[@rickknowlton9990]

Thanks, my mistake. Wish i had a simple way to edit that

[@jasminewang2286]

I want the book

[@AncientChess]

You mean, the kanji book? ...or my book? aworldofchess.com

[@toondemaere3080]

It looks like the red pieces are Japanese kanji. So it's Japan vs China. Am i correct?

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for that good question. It is not entirely clear why the characters have the specific different identifications across the board, though we go into some detail on that issue in our book. In general, the game has been adapted to represent a famous Chinese battle that took place around 200 BCE. The different pieces represent differences on the two sides. Where Japan is concerned, The Japanese 'kanji' characters are taken directly from Chinese. In fact, 'kanji' means 'Chinese', in Japanese. There is no implication of Japan being involved in the battle represented on the Chinese chessboard.

[@AllieThePrettyGator]

I actually saw a simaler looking xiangi chess board at at a store but I unfortunately didn't buy it

[@AncientChess]

Nice to hear of your interest. You will have many more opportuities, I am sure!

[@bettermebetterlife8975]

How do you make your chess pieces?

[@AncientChess]

Different ways. What are you thinking of in particular? Not these xiangqi pieces -- I found those on eBay...

[@bettermebetterlife8975]

@@AncientChess the Jungle/Animal chess ones

[@AncientChess]

@@bettermebetterlife8975 I molded the animal heads myself with Fimo, then had my buddy make latex molds from those, cast them, paint them and give them felt bottoms. The playing mat I designed on the computer, including some water color images I made, then I had the printed on heavy vinyl.

[@AncientChess]

@@bettermebetterlife8975 I don't have those listed now, but when I do, they will appear here: www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dmd=2&iconV2Request=true&_ssn=rickofricks&store_cat=0&store_name=worldchessandfinearts&_oac=1&_nkw=jungle

[@bettermebetterlife8975]

👍🤩

[@vladimirmendoza2645]

Xiangqi is a beautiful, yet complex game.

[@AncientChess]

Yes! I am still having finding it hard to make the first few moves -- without getting into trouble. I encourage people to try it on xiangqi.com. ancientchess.com

[@LegendaryLimeYT]

I saw the older tutorial which was 10 years ago. Look at how much time changes everyone.

[@AncientChess]

Yeah really. In those days, I refused to do any editing -- I just wanted to get the video done and posted! Now, I love editing ... but I admit, I don't produce them very quickly, very few in the past few years actually. I want to do many more .. when I have time!

[@LegendaryLimeYT]

@@AncientChess Yes for sure! Keep up the good work.

[@kimtimothy3764]

when you introduce the horse you got introduce the chinese character 日，coz its makes more sense，it can be horizontal，really a game changer

[@rickknowlton9990]

Thanks for the comment. I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean about introducing the Chinese character 日. This means 'sun' or 'day', right? What do you mean about the horse?

[@kimtimothy3764]

coz the 日 character is in the chess，in our own education we always been taught，that the horse moves in the 日 （Chinese character）coz 日 can be horizontal，and vertical（that way you don't need to move twice while you move the horse）日 in Chinese means what you said day and sun，but in chinese chess，it helps to understand the moves，coz horse is different and special piece in this chess，could be 日 or 田 cut in half and keep horizontal（as you can see the chess board are made of 口 or 日 or like the elephant 田），this way the chess will stay strong with Chinese culture @@rickknowlton9990

[@kimtimothy3764]

yes，it means sun or day，but in Chinese it‘s important to use the word 日，coz when we grow we have been taught that the horse moves like a character 日，日 can be both horizontal and vertical ，as you can see the chess board is made of multiple 日，or 田，or 口. And that is why horse is a game changer in Chinese chess，so better to understand and educating the trip of horse by using the character，when you cut 田 in half horizontally and stays horizontal the way it is ，that's the other way of 日（horizontal 日 that horse moves），that way when you move horse you don't need to move twice or calculate，also its a strong connection with Chinese culture and characters @rickknowlton9990 @@rickknowlton9990

[@kimtimothy3764]

appreciate the introduction of your work！@@rickknowlton9990

[@kimtimothy3764]

yes，it means sun or day，but in Chinese it‘s important to use the word 日，coz when we grow we have been taught that the horse moves like a character 日，日 can be both horizontal and vertical ，as you can see the chess board is made of multiple 日，or 田，or 口. And that is why horse is a game changer in Chinese chess，so better to understand and educating the trip of horse by using the character，when you cut 田 in half horizontally and stays horizontal the way it is ，that's the other way of 日（horizontal 日 that horse moves），that way when you move horse you don't need to move twice or calculate，also its a strong connection with Chinese culture and characters@@rickknowlton9990

[@KandiKlover]

Nice I like how you remade 10 years later. Is there still a nice printout instruction on the site? XiChess is better site to play btw :3

[@洛圣都人民保卫部]

这是什么材质的象棋

[@phantomcruizer]

Any links to the “westernized” set you had in the video?

[@AncientChess]

Good question! Right now, I just have that one set in my collection. They can sometimes be found on eBay, by searching the brand name, 'shang chi game' (an unusual rendering of 'xiangqi'). Unfortunately, there is a modern toy series called 'shang-chi' so you have to scroll through that to find what we're looking for. At the moment, today, there is a listing on eBay for one here: www.ebay.com/itm/Shang-Chi-Chinese-Chess-Vintage-Board-Game-1973-by-Chen-Chih-Sun-U-S-Complete/264833886667?hash=item3da95469cb:g:PVYAAOSw7zxfOWY8

[@umangknight4775]

Hello, I love your videos and always wanted to see you grow more 😃 I love ur love for chess and its variants. Just one question... How do u money to collect and make such expensive videos even though only around 8k people 've Subscribed u? I visited ur website and felt happy ☺️ love from Delhi 🇮🇳

[@CờTướngĐườngPhố]

Chao mn , chúc sức khỏe

[@Quach7]

火 = fire and 石 = stone are the same thing, if you watch the opening of the movie Gladiator.

[@AncientChess]

I haven't seen Gladiator. In what sense are Fire and Stone the 'same thing'?

[@Quach7]

@@AncientChess kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6XHpHmBe86aopo

[@popstarkirby1993]

1:17 my good friend that is a Kanji book.

[@rickknowlton9990]

Yes, friend, indeed. I didn't want to put too fine a point on it but yes -- these traditional Chinese characters are also used Japan. Known there as "kanji", meaning, indeed, "Chinese". I don't happen to have a Chinese book with that information in such a cute delivery, but I think you will agree, this Japanese sourced book serves the purpose without fail.

[@popstarkirby1993]

@@rickknowlton9990 yeah, just wanted to point it out.

[@hfdennycheng9010]

CHINESE CHESS IS CALLED 象棋 IN CHINESE LANGUAGE 象=IVORY 棋=CHESS IT IS BECAUSE THE CHESSMAN ARE MADE BY IVORY AT THE EARLIEST TIME CHINESE CHESS IS BASED ON A CHINESE CIVIL WAR BETWEEN 漢 AND 楚 AFTER THE END OF THE CHIN DYNASTY 漢=RED CHESSMAN 楚=BLUE CHESSMAN FINALLY, 漢 WIN. IT BEGAN THE HAN DYNASTY (漢朝) FOR OVER 400 YEARS IN HISTORY

[@davidy2534]

Nice historical insight, thank you

[@DanielGreis1]

this is very interesting! It is crazy, it is undeniably comparable to chess in a lot of ways, but still, it feels so different. My problem, is, I woudn’t know how to learn this. I tried playing on the side, but there I only get completely stomped by 1500s

[@AncientChess]

We all get stomped by 1500s! That's a very high level, at least for a Westerner. It's true, beyond the unfamiliar look of this game, the dynamics are very different, and very powerful. As a fellow beginner, I can commiserate the experience of feeling like the attacks are coming from everywhere, the defenses are not where we expect them, and the complexity is mind-boggling. But when it goes your way, it's the same -- then YOUR attacks keep coming and your opponent is equally defenseless. Still, we are learning how to learn it! Join us any time on the xiangqi.com site ... you'll find many good chess players like yourself, striving to get a fundamental grasp of this game and meet the challenge :)

[@kimtimothy3764]

the horse is tripped if other chess on the same side of the horse（日）

[@tensaistudio539]

Hi AncientChess, can I use your video ?

[@AncientChess]

Yes. How will you be using it?

[@tensaistudio539]

@@AncientChess I have a space in an online Virtual World known as Decentraland that i set up a Xiang Qi exhibition, i will be using your video as instructional video on the wall as instructions for players who stumble upon my land. The location is at play.decentraland.org/?position=66%2C28&realm=fenrir-amber

[@hiofongcheng4208]

THE READING VOICE OF CHINESE CHARACTERS ARE DEPENDED ON WHICH KIND OF SPEAKING LANGUAGE OF THE USER

[@jtlledo]

Wow can’t believe this has so little views! Great video by the way!

[@AncientChess]

Thanks for the good comment! Yes -- let people know about this video! It is less than a month old, so it is just getting started. It's nice to hear from you aworldofchess.com

[@52xiangqi]

It's great

[@formicidae6710]

I already know how to play this game. We play it every year.

[@AncientChess]

That's great to hear! Please continue playing ... and see if you can get more people interested!

[@RobertsChannel632]

Hello! This is a Meme! Me : *Moves pawn backwards in xiangqi*

[@ShionChosa]

Thank for the explanation. Google refuses to do a breakdown

[@AncientChess]

My pleasure! Google isn't what it used to be. All A.I. blahblah and sponsored content. Alas. Glad you found me! AncientChess.com

[@rezuankassim2612]

21603 views

[@AncientChess]

I just saw a GREAT instructive video showing some opening principles. Highly recommended kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXSti51sqN90gM0

[@ninjapirate123]

Chinese chess is harder than chess

[@rickknowlton9990]

Although the rules are not particularly complicated, I find it hard to get used to. I think it's mostly because the starting position is so open, it seems like anything can happen. And when you're a beginner, like me, "anything" seems to happen to you all the time. I wonder how chess players learn to re-think the game enough to become good at xiangqi.

[@ninjapirate123]

@@rickknowlton9990 There are also few different pieces in chinese chess compared to chess and knights can't jump over stuff unlike chess so yes it's harder to play

[@rickknowlton9990]

@@ninjapirate123 Yeah, but I wonder to what degree it is harder in itself, and to what degree it is confusing for us since we grew up on the standard chess rules

[@ninjapirate123]

@@rickknowlton9990 It won't be so hard if you play it often. When I first play chess, I didn't even know how to play and I think it was hard, but then after I played it for a longer time, I got used to play it and it's easy for me since understand the rules after playing for a long time

[@Ashley-jp4nn]

elephant mode

[@rickknowlton9990]

Elephant....mode....? What the---

[@jonat012]

100th like

[@rickknowlton9990]

ding ding ding! keep 'em coming! :)