Description
Etvhed Glass Xiangqi Set (also Xiang Qi and Chinese Chess).
Offered here is an Etched Glass Xiangqi Set, also referred to as Xiang QI and Chinese Chess. The 32 individual round faceted etched glass chess pieces measure 1.3″ in diameter by 3/8″ thick. The brown-stained wooden folding chessboard/storage box measures 21″ by 15-3/4″ opened. Each of the Xiangqi chessmen are identified by Chinese calligraphy engraved in Black or Red on one side. The playing field is gold foil-backed glass which is inlaid into the box interior. The coins and gold foil-backed glass chessboard in this Etched Glass Xiangqi Set are in like-new condition. The brown-stained wooden folding storage box shown some minor scuffing on the exterior surfaces.
Background.
Xiangqi is also known as Chinese chess. It is one of the oldest forms of chess and one of the most popular board games in China. It is related to Western Chess, Chaturanga, Shogi, Indian chess and Janggi. There are several differences between Xiangqi and Western Chess. The most significant are the new piece, the Cannon (pao), which must have a “screen” to capture; a rule forbidding the Kings (or Generals) from directly opposing each other; the ability to block the Knight, Pawn promotion; the river, which the Elephants can’t cross; and the Fortress or Palace, which confines the King and his advisors (Visors).
The Etched Glass Xiang Qi Set battlefield is composed of 9 vertical lines (files) and 10 horizontal lines (ranks) with the pieces being played on the intersections. On the center of each edge of the board is the fortress or palace, which is 3 by 3 lines (9 points) with four diagonal lines that extend outward from the center forming an “X” shape. Dividing the two opposing sides of the board is a river, located between the fifth and sixth ranks. The river is often marked with the Chinese characters, 楚河 “Chǔ Hé” meaning “Chu River”, and 漢界 (汉界 in simplified Chinese), “Hàn Jiè”, meaning “Han border”, a reference to the Chu-Han War. Some boards have the starting points of soldiers marked with symbols.
