Chinese Chess

All of my blunders occur with cannons so I recommend to myself to spend some time on a special cannon checkup before each move – is the cannon pinning anything (it pins two (!!) pieces especially king guards)? Guarding something from across the board? Any sudden forks or changed situations possible (don’t forget it can leap in two directions, check both carefully)? Also some blunders with the knight, it loses effect if it is blocked horizontally or vertically so double-check it too. The elephant/bishop can also be blocked and this is also an important attacking stratagem.

I’m reading a basics Chinese chess book now in Chinese and I’m getting that Fred Reinfeld (a famous basics writer of Euro Chess) thrill I got as a child seeing the spectacular mating combinations and mind over matter maneuvers. He hammers in the basic concepts with brilliant examples of refutations. For example: 1) don’t engage in premature attacks or pawn grabbing, this is easy to do so its tempting. You’re sure to lose the initiative which will probably lose the game for you. So develop all your forces first although in some openings a rook foray and pawn grab of the c or g pawn is okay only if it locks in the knight and ties down the opponent a bit. 2) develop space, mobility, coordination and communications between the wings in the opening; don’t allow mass invasions of one of your wings. 3) don’t allow yourself to get into a passive position, a strong setup guarding your third and fourth lines is essential but is secondary to 2 above, be confident in development and welcome premature attacks.

Chinese love colorful language with references to cultural icons. Here’s an example:

Heaven and Earth Cannons Checkmating Method:


Red: Ke1, Ee3 & i3, Gd1 & f1, Ca4 & e4, Rd4 & e7, Pg4 & i4.
Black: Ke10, Eg10 & e8, Gd10 & e9, Cb7 & i2, Rb8 & h2, Pd2.

Red to play and win or checkmate: 1. Rxb7 Rxb7 2. Ca10+ (this is the “Earth” cannon, the e4 cannon is the “Heaven” cannon) Rb10 3. Rxd10 mate. A spectacular exhibition of cannon firepower and pins.

Black to play and mate: 1. . . . Ci1+ 2. Eg1 (if 2. Ge2 Cb1mate) Cb1+ 3. Ge2 Rxe2 mate Does 1. . . . Cb1+ mate?
2. Ge2 Ci1+ 3. Eg1 Rxe2 mate. If the red elephants/bishops were not cut off by the rook and pawn there would be no mate as the red cannon could defend the e2 square if the i3 elephant could go to g1. Get your pawns close to the King is shown here too, the Chinese call a pawn which enters the kings palace to help effect mate, the "Small Ghost Sits on the Dragon Throne" This all illustrates the economy principle whereby your forces pack more wallop by producing more influence which has made computers the world champions in Euro chess.

“Heaven and Earth” occurs unlimitedly in Chinese culture, literature, cosmology and conversation, heaven (tian = sky, heaven; ex. “Oh tian ah!”) referring to God, gods, Buddha, luck, fate, lucky numbers, etc. miraculously covering all belief systems existing in China including a generic belief in which the supernatural is somewhat believed in but undefined! Earth (di = earth, ground, the mundane world) refers to our phenomenal life on this world. The Chinese chess community pokes fun at this icon in typical dry, sarcastic, humorous style which delights and deprecates simultaneously in the Chinese culture. One can imagine some scene from Chinese mythology where a god is helping a general on the ground with a heavenly cannon.