象棋 Xiangqi (Chinese chess)

Xiangqi has a long history. It can be traced to Warring States Period, a period of battle between different states.

Xiangqi represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemy's "general" piece.

Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China. Distinctive features of Xiangqi include the unique movement of the pao ("cannon") piece, a rule prohibiting the generals (similar to chess kings) from facing each other directly, and the river and palace board features, which restrict the movement of some pieces.

Each side has 16 pieces, each player in turn moves one piece from the point it occupies to another point. A piece can be moved onto a point occupied by an enemy piece, in which case the enemy piece is "captured" and removed from the board.

The game ends when one player captures the other's general or with a draw or a stalemate.

Xiangqi is making its Asian Games debut in Guangzhou Asian Games, 2010.

象棋起源于中国。远在战国时代，已经有了关于象棋的正式记载。1978年亚洲象棋联合会成立，目前已经有中国、泰国、日本等16个会员。2010年广州亚运会象棋将首次成为正式比赛项目。

象棋的棋盘由9条直线和10条横线相交而成。棋子放在各条线的相交点上，并在线上移动。横盘中间的一行没有画上直线，称为“河界”。棋子的颜色通常分为黑色和红色，双方各有16支棋子。对一盘棋局来说，只要一方被“将死”或者“欠行”，又或者自动认输，另一方即可得胜。