Square chess
Encyclopedia
Square chess also known as and , is an abstract strategy board game
played traditionally in the northwestern regions of China
, especially Ningxia
, Gansu
, Shaanxi
, Qinghai
, Xinjiang
, and other areas with a high concentration of Chinese Muslims. The game is also played by Dungans, who have brought the game with them to Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan
and Kazakhstan
.
, the game is played on a 7x8 grid, with pieces played on the points, much as in Go
. Players take turns alternately placing stones until the board has been filled up, attempting to form 2x2 squares with their pieces. When the board has been filled up, players each remove one of their opponent's stones. The player then counts up the squares that he/she has formed and removes an equal number of the opponent's pieces, as long as those pieces are not part of a square. After the initial removal of pieces, players take turns moving pieces; pieces can move any distance along the grid up, down, left, or right. Every time a square is formed, the player can remove one of the opponent's pieces (again, as long as this piece is not part of a square). The player who removes all of the opponent's pieces first is the winner. Thus, the game is similar in concept to Nine Men's Morris
.
Other variants of the game allow encirclement of pieces, as in Go. Still other variants disallow certain moves, for example, forming a square in the same way repeatedly (similar to the ko
rule in Go).
Because of the game's popularity among country folk in rural areas, there are a great many variants of the game, each local to a specific area.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
played traditionally in the northwestern regions of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, especially Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, and other areas with a high concentration of Chinese Muslims. The game is also played by Dungans, who have brought the game with them to Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
Rules
In NingxiaNingxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
, the game is played on a 7x8 grid, with pieces played on the points, much as in Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
. Players take turns alternately placing stones until the board has been filled up, attempting to form 2x2 squares with their pieces. When the board has been filled up, players each remove one of their opponent's stones. The player then counts up the squares that he/she has formed and removes an equal number of the opponent's pieces, as long as those pieces are not part of a square. After the initial removal of pieces, players take turns moving pieces; pieces can move any distance along the grid up, down, left, or right. Every time a square is formed, the player can remove one of the opponent's pieces (again, as long as this piece is not part of a square). The player who removes all of the opponent's pieces first is the winner. Thus, the game is similar in concept to Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris is an abstract strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman Empire. The game is also known as Nine Man Morris, Mill, Mills, Merels, Merelles, and Merrills in English....
.
Playing equipment
The game can be played on any 7x8 board using black or white go stones, even on the intersections of a chessboard. The game is popular in agricultural communities in northwestern China, and often played on a board traced out on the ground.Variants
Xinjiang Fāngqí is played on a 7x7 board. Because this leads to an odd number of playing points (49) the first player has an advantage. Thus, the second player is allowed to remove one more piece from his/her opponent during the initial removal of pieces.Other variants of the game allow encirclement of pieces, as in Go. Still other variants disallow certain moves, for example, forming a square in the same way repeatedly (similar to the ko
Ko
Ko or KO may refer to:* Ko , a Tamil action movie directed by K.V. Anand released in April 2011* Ko , the romanization of the Japanese kana こ and コ* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin*Ko, Lamphun, Thailand...
rule in Go).
Because of the game's popularity among country folk in rural areas, there are a great many variants of the game, each local to a specific area.
- Ningxia Fāngqí
- Xinjiang Fāngqí
- Tibet Fāngqí
- Qinghai Fāngqí
- 大邊棋
- 關中掐方棋
- 六州棋
- 六道棋
- 五棍棋
- 大方棋