A site for learning Xiangqi. It contains descriptions and many interactive examples of tactics. These consist of a java applet showing a board and a move list. You can move back and forth amongst the moves and follow the changes on the board.
[mentioned by kleineme, below, as "Probably the best tutorial on the net"]
________________________________________



Games, games, games (including those of the 2005 World Championship in Paris - the first one held outside of Asia):
A list of 430 games - interactive like the tutorial mentioned above.
________________________________________



Another tutorial site which also has a good selection of Master games and Puzzles.
________________________________________
Four downloadable Xiangqi books translated into English.
_______________________________________


_
An interview with Professor David H. Li.
Comparison between Western Chess and Xiangqi: Part I and Part II.
________________________________________
Xiangqi in the Wikipedias: English and German.
________________________________________
How to pronounce Xiangqi: Enter 'Chinese chess' and then click on the xiang and qi hyperlinks.
Or go directly: xiàng and qí.
________________________________________
A brief description of Xiangqi at ChessVariants.org. The page contains a list of further links.
________________________________________



The exact Asia Xiangqi Rules in the form of a 449KB .zip file containing web pages and images.
________________________________________



Software: Chinese Chess Learner V4.3. A 30-day evaluation copy limited to 30 moves. $35 (Sep 2005).
________________________________________


The Asian Xiangqi Rules.
________________________________________

For list of puzzles with solutions:
http://private.addcom.de/dxb/dxbpuzz.html
There is also a link "2002 competition".
________________________________________

Fencer: In the game I just finished with Corwin, he played Cb6-f6 jumping without capturing piece. Well, I think so from memory, because I don't know how to replay a game if that is possible. Please would you check, please?

Spirou: Interesting, I'll have a look at it.
Btw, you can replay the game either clicking on the particular moves at the notation table or using the arrows at the table top.

It should be fixed now. It happened only when a player was in a check.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangqi

I added the link to brainking :-)

Just wanted to say thanks Fencer, I've been thinking of where to get my chinese chess fix for some time, and couldn't seem to find it. Ya'll spend a lot of time thinking about, upgrading and maintaining the site, and you're appreciated very much for it.

Can somebody please tell me how to prounounce this "Xiangqi"?

Pedro Martínez: X between S and X, qi as shi: sxian(g)shi

Cool, keep playing :-)

Pedro Martínez: it sounds like sheeang (but pronounced quickly as one syllable) chee

the "a" in sheeang sounds like the a in barber.

Also, the first character is said from high to low, the second from low to high`/

象棋 literally means elephant chess as opposed to Jungle, which is 兽斗棋 wild animals fighting chess.

Approximate relative values of the pieces

Piece Point(s)
The soldiers Soldier before crossing the river 1
The soldiers Soldier after crossing the river 2
The advisors Advisor 2
The elephants Elephant 2
The horses Horse 4 - 5
The cannons Cannon 4 - 5
The chariots Chariot 9

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangqi

Uh, I thought the Cannon is more worth than the chariot ...

Here is a Xiang Qi (Chinese chess) tournament with a prize of a one-year Brain Rook membership. Everyone is welcome to participate.

http://brainking.com/es/Tournaments?trg=10680&trnst=0&tp=68

the cannon is worth less because it has capture conditions that the rook doesn't have. Of course, it is much better than a chariot in some cases! I would say a soldier having crossed the river is worth more than an advisor or elephant because it isn't constrained into path movement.

Also, NO WAY a horse is worth the same as a cannon. You can take a horse with a cannon straight off from the starting position, but it is a very bad move to do so.

redsales: thanks, redsales...I'd wish you could hear me saying it loud here...LOL

Pedro Martínez: heheheheh! what a vivid picture..you can get the pronunciation here:

http://www.mandarintools.com/cgi-bin/wordlook.pl

enter 'Chinese chess' and then click on the xiang and qi hyperlinks.

redsales: OH, ok, thanks...but that doesn't sound like "sheeang" at all...rather something like "siah-tsji"...:)
Sorry, I'm obssessed with pronunciation...:)

Pedro Martínez: it's hard to differentiate from one recording...if you're really interested in Chinese I can get you started.

redsales: Why not open a fellowship about chinese lessons? May be many could be interested in?

Spirou: i have the max # of FS now, so I can't start another. Anyone interested in the meantime should use this link for openers:

http://www.freechineselessons.com/beginners.php

Have a look at: http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=978558&i=1

1. Che2 Ng7
2. Ng2 Ne8??
3. Cxe6+ Nc7
4. Ce4 Cg7
5. Ce2
Preparing a trap which contains a double cannon threatment.
4. ... Cxg3
6. Cc4+
Note! With check and threatening at C9!
6. ... Ne8
7. Cxc9#
With mate.

a mate due to the together work of two cannons - interesting strategy and tactics possibilities occur in Chinese Chess.

chessmec: nice game~!

redsales: Thanks. Another example of teh power of two cannons can be seen in: http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=978559 ... funny mate at the end

http://brainking.com/cz/ArchivedGame?g=978555

Fencer: Nice. I saw it before moving ... but want have shown it! Congrats!

In this game, if txaggie had moved her charriot from F3 to F0 would it have been checkmate?
According with my understanding of the rules it would have... but I'd like to know what you have to say about it (still learning this...)

pauloaguia: definitely.

I am very greatful XiangQi and Shogi can be played at brainking now.

Redsales: I'm an absolute beginner at XiangQi, but I read somewhere the horse is less valuable than the cannon in the opening but the cannon decreases in strength during the game...

Fwiffo: I noticed that two cannons, which are working together, are DEADLY!

< Chessmec> Yes, I like the cannon, very surprising piece. My only mate this far has been with two cannons behind each other on itsyourturn: deadly indeed! (I went there to play XiangQi - not necessary anymore :) )


http://www.geocities.com/yccheok/tutorial/menu.html looks useful for learning Xiangqi.

I just noticed a minor bug: http://brainking.com/en/ShowGame?g=984759&i=8 has no blue square around the piece that just moved.

Fwiffo: good point about the cannon/horse. Without pieces to jump over, the cannon suffers and the horse is blocked less.

again the same bug (no blue squares around the moving piece): http://brainking.com/en/ShowGame?g=985036&i=9
In both cases it was a capture by the cannon.

Fwiffo: No more.

Wow... you are fast! thanks a lot

The horse is a close fighting piece, which means when it gets into the battle it can really influence the game. Also when there is one cannon remaining it loses a lot of its checkmating power, which is one thing that makes them so cool. Chessmec, that funny mate you talked about with the two cannons is legendary in China and is known as the "Double Pow". Pow stands for cannon, which I always thought was appropriate and funny.

Fencer: Exactly the same problem as in Shogi arise in the above mentioned game. I play Nxe7, click 'move' and when I return to that game my move isn't played.

Fencer: I don't know what happened, now my move is done.

playBunny: Thank you, it is fixed now :-)

I can't chose my Knight at e1. Strangely I can pick up any other pieces.

Spirou: That's because you can't move the Knight. Moving it will mean the two Kings are on the same file, with no pieces between them. That's illegal in Xiangqi.

AbigailII: Oh! Thank you, I so often forget that rule

I have buyed a pieceset of Chinese chesspieces at Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5231814459#ebayphotohosting
for 1,- Euro,but 7,50 shipping costs .

Caissus:

Caissus, I am interested by this purchase me too.
Can you say to me if that set is sold the pieces alone or there is the board with?
If there is a board, which are external dimensions?
If there is no board, how will you proceed for you to get one of them?

jian: hm, do you really think that I could have pieces a n d a board for only one Euro? . I think we can play Xiangqi at home with the regular western chessboard.

Caissus: the chessboards, of course, are different, but if you know the lines for the 士and the river, you can do it.

redsales:
If we consider the intersections of the chessboard of chess, we have of them 9x9. For Xiangqi, we needs 9x10 with the river. Therefore, if we use a chessboard of chess, we will miss the river. I rather plan to use a plywood plate on which I will trace the lines. But I would like to know dimensions to be given to this plate. Do you know the most suitable dimensions?

jian: yes, we would need use our imagination for the river! most OTC 象棋 sets have paper boards anyway, easy to make. I don't understand what you mean by dimensions? 您是中国人吗&
#65311;

redsales:
I want to speak about external sizes of the chessboard.

jian: i suppose whatever fits your pieces the best?

redsales:
OK, thanks!
I ordered the pieces on eBay. I thus will wait to know their diameter.