                      A SIMPLIFIED HALF-BOARD GAME
                       USING A CHINESE CHESS SET
                           BY ROLEIGH MARTIN
                             CIS 71510,1042
                           5511 Malibu Drive
                             Edina MN 55436
                                1-18-94
        
        I received an interesting Compuserve (CIS) email from a
        downloader of an earlier upload of CCHESS.ZIP from Dave
        Franz (CIS ID 71172,2115).  I am reproducing relevant
        parts from his email.  It shows how to play another
        game with Chinese Chess that might be easier to teach
        newcomers.  I've known Chinese mothers and young kids
        to play this game quite enjoyably.  According to Dave
        Franz, a lot of Chinese men play this game too.  I
        haven't played it myself though.  It is reproduced here
        to achieve written (in English) posterity.
        
        
        To: Roleigh H. Martin > [71510,1042]
        #: 67 S0/CompuServe Mail  [MAIL]
            05-Jan-94 09:52 CST
        Sb: XiangXi half-board chess
        Fm: Dave Franz [71172,2115]
        
        
        I was wondering if you knew of the half-board version
        of this game.  I learned it in Taiwan from Taxi
        drivers.  (It is played on half the board, with all the
        pieces turned down, in the center of the squares.  A
        move consists of flipping a piece over or moving a
        piece... well hopefully you know all of this.)
        

                                 * * *
        

        To: Roleigh Martin > [71510,1042]
        #: 68 S0/CompuServe Mail  [MAIL]
            06-Jan-94 15:38 CST
        Sb: XiangXi half-board chess
        Fm: Dave Franz [71172,2115]
        
        First to answer your questions, I downloaded your
        upload from IBMNEW forum.  I was taught how to play the
        full board version once, but that was long ago, and I
        never practiced enough to retain the knowledge.  I
        haven't played the half board game in two years now, so
        I'm also getting rusty at that.  In this game, there
        are two players, and the game is very fast and
        exciting.  Kind of a mix-up of Checkers, Chess, Stratego
        and Poker.
        
        
                                PRE-GAME
        
        All pieces are turned upside down, mixed up, and placed
        in the center of the squares of a half board (on a 4x8
        grid).
        
        
                                STARTING
        
        CAI CHUAN (paper-rock-scissors) determines who will
        turn over the first piece to see who makes the first
        move (turns the first piece.)  The color of the first
        piece is played by the turner of that piece.
        
        
                                  PLAY
        
        A move is either (1) turning over a piece, (2) moving a
        piece one square horizontally or vertically (not
        diagonally) to another blank square, or (3) capturing
        another piece.  Obviously, at first, most of the moves
        are turning over pieces.  The object of the game is to
        eliminate all the tiles of the other player.
        
        
                           HIERARCHY OF PIECES
        
        The general can take a knight, can take a elephant, can
        take a chariot, can take a horse can take a pawn.
        Pawns can take a general, but generals can't take
        pawns.  Any piece just mentioned can capture its own
        kind or below (except general to pawn).  Cannons can
        take anything, but only by jumping over another piece,
        regardless of how far away the piece is, so long as
        there is only one piece.  (The piece captured is the
        one it lands on, not the one it jumps.)  When not
        capturing, cannons can move to adjacent free squares
        just like any other piece.  Further, cannons can be
        taken by anything but a pawn.  Capturing takes place
        for any other piece by moving to an adjacent square.
        
        
                                COMMENTS
        
        Stalemates are possible.  The end of the game can get
        very strategy oriented.
        
        Games are not based entirely on strategy, sometimes a
        game can be won by the luck of the draw (the luck of
        the turn).
        
        Cannons tend to be the most interesting pieces in the
        game.
        
        The rules I just laid out are subject to wide
        variations.  Some of my favorite:  Cannons can jump
        consecutively, taking many pieces in one move.  Various
        pieces can move on the diagonal.  Horses can only move
        two up one over (like in regular chess).  Various
        pieces can move on the diagonal (or can move only on
        the diagonal).  Turn all pieces up at start.  etc. etc.
        etc.  Half-board Xiang Xi works like poker, when the
        dealer calls the game (ie, 7stud, draw, etc.).
        
        Well I hope this gives you a better idea of the game.
        I just wrote this on the fly, so it may not be a very
        good description.
        
