About this printable Chinese chess set
This printable Chinese chess board from PrintablePaper.net (Savetz Publishing) is a three-page xiangqi set: the board with its river and two palaces, a sheet of red and black pieces marked with the traditional Chinese characters, and a page that explains each piece and the basic rules. It is a handy way to try the game before buying a wooden set.
Xiangqi is the most played board game in China and a cousin of Western chess. Pieces stand on the intersections rather than in the squares, the general is confined to a palace, elephants cannot cross the river, and cannons capture by jumping over another piece. The goal is the same: checkmate the opposing general.
How to use it
- Print all three pages and cut out the 32 pieces; card stock helps.
- Set up as the piece guide shows: chariots in the corners, then horses, elephants, advisors and the general in the middle of the back row; cannons two rows forward; five soldiers along the river bank.
- Red moves first. Move along the lines to the next intersection, capture by landing on an enemy piece, and announce check.
- Checkmate the general to win.
What’s in the PDF
- Page 1: the board.
- Page 2: pieces and a guide to their moves.
- Page 3: rules. US Letter, 3 pages, colour. The download is on the PrintablePaper.net preview page.
In the PDF
- Board with river and palaces
- Cut-out red and black pieces
- Piece guide and rules
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