Fun fact: the advisor piece is actually the Xiangqi equivalent of the chess queen. Until the early modern era, the queen was restricted to only moving one square diagonally. The modern movement of the queen was developed later as a fun chess variant (often called “The Mad Queen of Europe”) inspired by powerful European queens; this variant eventually gained more popularity than the older version of the game and became the standard rule set. Prior to the introduction of chess in Europe, the queen was more often referred to as the vizier or advisor. When chess spread out from its origins in India, it became the two advisors in China’s Xiangqi in the east, while it eventually became the queen in Europe’s chess in the west.
@@fardgaming420 The piece is only called the "Bishop" in English, which is a modern development. In France it is the Fool, and in Germany the Runner. In all the Slavic languages, including of course Russian, it is called the "Slon," which means "elephant," and it is also the elephant in Spanish (Alfil) and in Arabic (al fil).
@@fardgaming420 Fun fact: Bishops doen't go out in the battle field, they say in churches. Another fun fact: "castles" cannot move. European adoption of the game came way way later than its Indian origin.
Oh snappers! Another video! Gee golly, makes me realize my age when I see the type of animation work the kids are doing these days. Times used to be simpler!
The Guard and Elephant pieces are not as weak as they seem on paper because of the flying general rule. In end game they are crucial for either setting up a flying general checkmate or forcing a stalemate (covering your own general so you could move it to restrict the movement of opponent's general) because there are few strong pieces left for offense.
The guards are also crucial in an endgame with a cannon on the board, as the cannon needs at least one guard (and maybe an elephant as well) across which to fire at the enemy general. Many endgames have been won in this way.
What can I say? Another superb video! My granddaughter Alice has been loving this game so much I'm sure she's planning a trip to China to learn from some masters. Hopefully its not too different from Topeka, Kansas HA! Anyways maybe I'll suggest we try Xiangqi instead of bingo at my next game night. Could be a real hoot!
Francis? I can t believe I found you here of all places Hope the family and Alice is well, I will be visiting Marjorie in Leavenworth next month! Maybe I can come down to Topeka and we can catch up over a cold beer and a game of Xiangqi lol! Go Hawks!
i think it's less confusing to view soliders as (1) pawns that promote after crossing the river, (2) the promotion zone is 'across the river' not the back rank, (3) only pawns promote. Makes it easier to compare to western chess (only pawns promote, promotion zone=back rank) and shogi (promotion zone=3 most back ranks, all minor pieces promote to gold/major pieces promote king+their original movement).
But the king is confined to the nine-point palace, which makes it easier to attack than the Western chess king, which can flee where it likes. Also, it is untrue that all the pieces' powers are weaker; the cannon is the equivalent minor piece to the chess bishop, and can be VERY powerful indeed. Accurate play with the cannons has resulted in millions of checkmates. Also, note that the chess term "rook" MEANS "chariot" (from the Persian rukh). We should use familiar chess terms when possible, especially when they are a lot shorter :)
You are half correct (from your perspective). Chinese Chess is closer to Chaturanga than Western Chess. A more correct way to say it is that the pieces of Western Chess INCREASED from the common ancestor Chaturanga (what I call Indian Chess).
@@quach8quach907 Yes you are right about evolition of chess. Because Queen could move only 1 square diagonal and bishop could move only 2 square diagonal in chatarunga like xiang qi.
The rules of Chinese chess are almost identical to its parent Indian chess. The Bishop = Elephant in Indian chess moves 2 squares diagonally. The Queen = Vizier moves 1 square diagonally.
To its parent Indian chess? According to Wikipedia: "Indian chess is the name given to regional variations of chess played in India in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is distinct from chaturanga. There are several such variations, all quite similar to modern rules, with variants regarding castling, pawn promotion, etc. These variants were popular in India until the 1960s. However, even today a mix of Indian and international rules and terminology are used in some parts of India." I think you are able to do research about when was Chinese chess invented, do you?
@@fire1tigerl373 Indian Chess is MY terminology for Chaturanga. Chaturanga is chess. Chaturanga came from India. Chaturanga = Indian Chess my MY OWN language. Chinese Chess came from Chaturanga (in the language of your choice). Comprende, amigo?
@@fire1tigerl373 "It is distinct from chaturanga." Just as offsprings are distinct from parents. Western Chess is distinct from Chaturanga. Chinese Chess is distinct from Chaturanga. Both are descendants of Chaturanga.
@@fire1tigerl373 "I think you are able to do research about when was Chinese chess invented, do you?" Chine Chess was invented when the Chinese took Chaturanga and added MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) to it and made Chinese Chess.
Not king , it's general . In ancient China , the king ( siblings or Cousin of emperor ) can't join the war since their job is to take care the states. Extra fact : Emperor are supervising the king , which mean emperor is the King's boss / superior. The kings job is take care of some parts of China area , but emperor's job take care ALL China and the kings There's no need to say checkmate if the general faced each other , it consider as a trap , just eat it immediately and you win.
chess vs Xiangqi sounds pretty chaotic and fun but I feel like chess would clean house against Xiangqi since they just dont have enough weapons and the strength to withstand the sheer power of the normal chess board since they have the whole promotion thing they have way too many pawns and just the power of the queen is probably too overwhelming for Xiangqi to handle and they have to keep the general/king in a palace area which he cant leave which makes it so much easier for the normal chess board to checkmate the general
Chess rewards nuanced play, where the end game is more exciting, with the possibility of pawn promotion and stalemate. Whereas in Xiangqi, it (mostly) rewards aggressive play, due to the powerful combination of pieces. I'd argue that the cannon is the most powerful piece in any chess games in the early to mid game, opening up many possibilities of pinning and skewering your opponents. The end game in Xiangqi however is really predictable.
@@englishpaulm Actually the Chinese character of the advisor for red pieces means the "female servant" in the ancient palace. So it is somewhat equivalent to the role of the queen in chess.
Change to symbol of the Chariot to a Wheel instead of the Western "Rook". Nobody in the Western world can explain why a "Castle" is a "Rook", or what "Rook' means. Chariot as in the original Chaturanga. 車 That is a gyph of a chairot. 2 wheels, an axle, and a box.
The cannon is more useful than the chariot especially when rushing for an early victory 😂....... Once an early victory plot is foiled, the game becomes hard 😂
Xianchi is more complicate then a chess game, buy there is more interesting to play...amazing video with explication, keep it up looks amazing this game!
@@DieFlabbergast Chinese Chess is more complicated. Western Chess is very simple. It's like boxing, find an opening and punch. And it is like wrestling (find the balance and topple the body). Chinese Chess is like Spy vs. Spy. You don't know who is the hunter and who is the hunted. You don't know if your Wile E. Coyote trap will backfire on you.
@@greatmusic142 Also the phalanx. The phalanx of Western chess is a great shield, and you can figure out where to move by the holes in the phalanx. The pawns in Chinese chess is in the maniple formation. The pieces move through the pawns like swiss cheese with holes. The pawns cannot slow down the attack or show where the holes are, because the holes are everywhere.
Fun fact: the advisor piece is actually the Xiangqi equivalent of the chess queen. Until the early modern era, the queen was restricted to only moving one square diagonally. The modern movement of the queen was developed later as a fun chess variant (often called “The Mad Queen of Europe”) inspired by powerful European queens; this variant eventually gained more popularity than the older version of the game and became the standard rule set. Prior to the introduction of chess in Europe, the queen was more often referred to as the vizier or advisor. When chess spread out from its origins in India, it became the two advisors in China’s Xiangqi in the east, while it eventually became the queen in Europe’s chess in the west.
Also fun fact: Elephant was the original bishop, India didnt have bishops in the country at the time and chess represented four parts of the army
@@fardgaming420 The piece is only called the "Bishop" in English, which is a modern development. In France it is the Fool, and in Germany the Runner. In all the Slavic languages, including of course Russian, it is called the "Slon," which means "elephant," and it is also the elephant in Spanish (Alfil) and in Arabic (al fil).
That is because Western Chess and Chinese Chess are 2 descendants of 1 common ancestor: Indian Chess, i.e. Chaturanga.
@@DieFlabbergast The Fool (fou) is the Queen.
@@fardgaming420 Fun fact: Bishops doen't go out in the battle field, they say in churches.
Another fun fact: "castles" cannot move.
European adoption of the game came way way later than its Indian origin.
Oh snappers! Another video! Gee golly, makes me realize my age when I see the type of animation work the kids are doing these days. Times used to be simpler!
I love these animations! They're so cute and pretty 🤩
The Guard and Elephant pieces are not as weak as they seem on paper because of the flying general rule. In end game they are crucial for either setting up a flying general checkmate or forcing a stalemate (covering your own general so you could move it to restrict the movement of opponent's general) because there are few strong pieces left for offense.
The guards are also crucial in an endgame with a cannon on the board, as the cannon needs at least one guard (and maybe an elephant as well) across which to fire at the enemy general. Many endgames have been won in this way.
What can I say? Another superb video! My granddaughter Alice has been loving this game so much I'm sure she's planning a trip to China to learn from some masters. Hopefully its not too different from Topeka, Kansas HA! Anyways maybe I'll suggest we try Xiangqi instead of bingo at my next game night. Could be a real hoot!
Francis? I can t believe I found you here of all places Hope the family and Alice is well, I will be visiting Marjorie in Leavenworth next month! Maybe I can come down to Topeka and we can catch up over a cold beer and a game of Xiangqi lol! Go Hawks!
mastering artillery tactics is key to winning a war
i think it's less confusing to view soliders as (1) pawns that promote after crossing the river, (2) the promotion zone is 'across the river' not the back rank, (3) only pawns promote.
Makes it easier to compare to western chess (only pawns promote, promotion zone=back rank) and shogi (promotion zone=3 most back ranks, all minor pieces promote to gold/major pieces promote king+their original movement).
Thanks for your suggestion!
what a great explanation! thank you so much!
Great job explaining, thanks!
7:27- Is that the Magnus-Hikaru game from the speed championship?
I like chess better but started playing Xiangqi because it's my childhood boardgame. Never beaten my mother back then but I probably can now.
hi i'd love a deep dive into opening moves please
4:12 The Knight often developed on move 2
The Cannon is an indirect Rook. That is exactly what it is.
Direct and indirect attacks in infinite combinations. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
In Chinese chess, the pawns are in maniple formation.
In Western chess, phalanx formation.
In Xiang qi it seems all pieces' power are decreased, except CHARIOT.
But the king is confined to the nine-point palace, which makes it easier to attack than the Western chess king, which can flee where it likes. Also, it is untrue that all the pieces' powers are weaker; the cannon is the equivalent minor piece to the chess bishop, and can be VERY powerful indeed. Accurate play with the cannons has resulted in millions of checkmates. Also, note that the chess term "rook" MEANS "chariot" (from the Persian rukh). We should use familiar chess terms when possible, especially when they are a lot shorter :)
You are half correct (from your perspective). Chinese Chess is closer to Chaturanga than Western Chess.
A more correct way to say it is that the pieces of Western Chess INCREASED from the common ancestor Chaturanga (what I call Indian Chess).
@@DieFlabbergast Yes there is cannon as a new special piece. You are right at this point.
@@quach8quach907 Yes you are right about evolition of chess. Because Queen could move only 1 square diagonal and bishop could move only 2 square diagonal in chatarunga like xiang qi.
@@aydnergul4838 "Now you know . . . and knowing is half the battle." - G.I. Joes.
The rules of Chinese chess are almost identical to its parent Indian chess.
The Bishop = Elephant in Indian chess moves 2 squares diagonally.
The Queen = Vizier moves 1 square diagonally.
To its parent Indian chess? According to Wikipedia: "Indian chess is the name given to regional variations of chess played in India in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is distinct from chaturanga. There are several such variations, all quite similar to modern rules, with variants regarding castling, pawn promotion, etc. These variants were popular in India until the 1960s. However, even today a mix of Indian and international rules and terminology are used in some parts of India." I think you are able to do research about when was Chinese chess invented, do you?
@@fire1tigerl373 Indian Chess is MY terminology for Chaturanga.
Chaturanga is chess.
Chaturanga came from India.
Chaturanga = Indian Chess my MY OWN language.
Chinese Chess came from Chaturanga (in the language of your choice).
Comprende, amigo?
@@fire1tigerl373 "It is distinct from chaturanga."
Just as offsprings are distinct from parents.
Western Chess is distinct from Chaturanga.
Chinese Chess is distinct from Chaturanga.
Both are descendants of Chaturanga.
@@fire1tigerl373 "I think you are able to do research about when was Chinese chess invented, do you?"
Chine Chess was invented when the Chinese took Chaturanga and added MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) to it and made Chinese Chess.
@@quach8quach907 What is your reference to stating "Chinese Chess came from Chaturanga"?
Do you like Xiangqi better than Western chess and how about Janggi and Shogi?
My dad never told me that 2 kings can't face each other in Xiangqi
Now you know!
Not king , it's general .
In ancient China , the king ( siblings or Cousin of emperor ) can't join the war since their job is to take care the states.
Extra fact : Emperor are supervising the king , which mean emperor is the King's boss / superior.
The kings job is take care of some parts of China area , but emperor's job take care ALL China and the kings
There's no need to say checkmate if the general faced each other , it consider as a trap , just eat it immediately and you win.
tho knight and bishop are good defender , queen and rook typically the one that trying to infiltrate
chess vs Xiangqi sounds pretty chaotic and fun but I feel like chess would clean house against Xiangqi since they just dont have enough weapons and the strength to withstand the sheer power of the normal chess board since they have the whole promotion thing they have way too many pawns and just the power of the queen is probably too overwhelming for Xiangqi to handle and they have to keep the general/king in a palace area which he cant leave which makes it so much easier for the normal chess board to checkmate the general
Great Analysis!
Yes however if xiangqi play first they can checkmate chess king with Canon in just one move
@@ramqi6239 depend on the board tho, how can we put 9x9 in 8x8
but what you describe is just a poorly designed game...
Chess rewards nuanced play, where the end game is more exciting, with the possibility of pawn promotion and stalemate.
Whereas in Xiangqi, it (mostly) rewards aggressive play, due to the powerful combination of pieces. I'd argue that the cannon is the most powerful piece in any chess games in the early to mid game, opening up many possibilities of pinning and skewering your opponents. The end game in Xiangqi however is really predictable.
Thank you for the detailed explanation!
My sister still doesn’t understand 🤦♂️🤣😎
She can try to learn how to play by playing a game vs lv 1 Computer on play.xiangqi.com/lobby
Awesome videos
Glad you like them!
What represents the queen
There is no queen. There are two advisors, one on either side of the king, but their movements are restricted to the “palace” area around the king.
A king requires a queen to properly function, while a general only needs his advisors
Roll back the clock. Go back to history. The now Queen is the then Vizier, which moves 1 square diagonally.
@@englishpaulm Actually the Chinese character of the advisor for red pieces means the "female servant" in the ancient palace. So it is somewhat equivalent to the role of the queen in chess.
Change to symbol of the Chariot to a Wheel instead of the Western "Rook".
Nobody in the Western world can explain why a "Castle" is a "Rook", or what "Rook' means.
Chariot as in the original Chaturanga.
車
That is a gyph of a chairot.
2 wheels, an axle, and a box.
The cannon is more useful than the chariot especially when rushing for an early victory 😂....... Once an early victory plot is foiled, the game becomes hard 😂
Fun fact: Chiness chess was made before chess
I dunno how to play chess tho
Cannons ars just chancellors
Advisors are just ferz
Generals are just wazir
i alredy know how to play!
Xianchi is more complicate then a chess game, buy there is more interesting to play...amazing video with explication, keep it up looks amazing this game!
It is NOT MORE complicated: the complexity of the two games is roughly equal. I have played both games for several decades.
@@DieFlabbergast Chinese Chess is more complicated.
Western Chess is very simple. It's like boxing, find an opening and punch. And it is like wrestling (find the balance and topple the body).
Chinese Chess is like Spy vs. Spy. You don't know who is the hunter and who is the hunted. You don't know if your Wile E. Coyote trap will backfire on you.
@@quach8quach907 why do u think xiangqi is more complicated? all the pieces seems to have less flexibility than chess
@@greatmusic142 The cannons throw a monkey wrench in everything.
@@greatmusic142 Also the phalanx. The phalanx of Western chess is a great shield, and you can figure out where to move by the holes in the phalanx.
The pawns in Chinese chess is in the maniple formation. The pieces move through the pawns like swiss cheese with holes. The pawns cannot slow down the attack or show where the holes are, because the holes are everywhere.
cannon=knight+rook
Another genetic inheritance.
Each side has 16 pieces.
👍👍👍
I choose rook
i
Chess is 100x better
Opinions vary. I Love rivers and canons, so I am partial to xiangqi.
This is simply a silly comment.
You are not telling us WHY.
@@quach8quach907 the game is much faster, the pierces are more powerful.
@@DarthRyueken Faster is not always better.
The Pointer Sisters likes "A man with a slow hand."
象 棋
c-young chee