Chinese Chess

Say it: Shee-ahng-chee. Also known as Chinese Chess or "Elephant Chess," this is the most popular board game on earth. Played in China for nearly 2,000 years, it has been largely unknown to the west until recently, partly because the playing pieces have always been identified with Chinese writing. Now this set features pieces with symbols that represent the Chinese characters, so that you don’t have to read Chinese in order to play. The wooden discs also have the Chinese characters on the other side, for those who do read Chinese script, or simply prefer the traditional look. This fast-paced strategy game is similar to European Chess in that the objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king, but there are also several notable differences. The pieces are placed and moved on the intersections of the lines (like in the Go Game) and the playing board is divided in half by a river boundary. Also, at the center rear of each battle camp is a “fortress” where each King and its 2 Guards are restricted. This solid wood game set features a folding game board that clasps shut to store the playing pieces safely inside, and comes with 32 wooden disc pieces – 16 red and 16 green. It also includes a 26-page illustrated instruction booklet which provides history, game rules, and sample games.