A Brief History of Chinese Chess

History and Origins of the Game

There’s a lot we can learn about how to play today from the history and legends behind the board, pieces, rules, and tactics.

History of Chinese Chess Pieces

Why does Chinese Chess use red and black pieces? **Liu Bang** was a rebel leader who overthrew the Qin dynasty and became **Emperor Gaozu of the Han dynasty**. Emperor Qin’s army marched to battle in black uniforms and lost to Liu Bang’s red army. Legend has it that Liu Bang was wasted and decided to walk through a marsh despite warnings that it was dangerous. While drunkenly wandering through a marsh, a large black snake confronted him and he somehow managed to slay it; he passed out a small distance away. The next day an old lady was mourning the snake’s death because apparently her son was an Emperor that had turned into the snake. The old lady said her son (the snake) was slain by the “Crimson Emperor.” Upon hearing this comedy, Liu Bang used red to represent his army.

Xiangqi Pieces

Here’s an explanation of the the names of the pieces, their approximate pronunciation in Chinese, each ones’ point value, and legal moves.

The Noblest Names

On the Red side are subtly more noble than those on the Black side. Why?

Historically, in the war to conquer the Guan Zhong region of China, rebel leader Liu Bang’s weaker, smaller army faced the Qin dynasty’s superior one. Unlike his brutal nemesis Xiang Yu (also fighting Qin), Liu Bang won by nobly taking a more diplomatic approach, showing mercy to gain the hearts of Qin soldiers.

Unlike this David and Goliath story, Chinese Chess is a fair game on the board. The set you play on may have slightly more or less variation between the two sides, and may be of colors other than Red and Black. But, don’t worry - it’s still the same game.