Two thousand years of Chinese chess: where the pieces came from, how the rules settled, and how the game reached parks, teahouses and world championships.
The history of xiangqi runs from an ancient Indian ancestor to Song-dynasty China, where the river, palaces, and gunpowder-age cannon gave Chinese Chess its shape.
Level up your Chinese Chess by studying five famous types of Xiangqi games, from classic Cannon openings to brilliant endgame battles. A study guide to the 象棋 masterpieces every serious fan should know.
The history of chess runs from the Indian game chaturanga through Persia and the Islamic world to Europe, where the queen and modern rules gave us the game we know.
The world chess championship history runs from Steinitz in 1886 through Fischer, Kasparov, and Carlsen. A guide to every era of the game's ultimate title.
The greatest chess games ever played, from Morphy's Opera Game to Kasparov's Immortal and Byrne vs Fischer, and what each masterpiece can teach your own play.
Who invented chess? No single genius did — the game evolved from India's chaturanga through Persian shatranj into the modern form we play worldwide today.
Rules, piece guides, board setup and the beginner mistakes worth skipping.
The Central Cannon, the Screen Horse and every major system, with the ideas behind the moves.
Middlegame plans, tactics and calculation: attacking the palace and defending it.
Book endings, fortresses, and the technique that converts a won game.
The champions and characters of Chinese chess, past and present.
The game in parks, teahouses and daily life across China, Vietnam and the diaspora.
Reports and standings from the events that matter.
Conversations with players, coaches and organisers.
What's new on XiangqiPlay.