Changgi
Changgi Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Arrangement
The pieces are arranged symmetrically, as shown on the front of the pamphlet. They are octagonal pieces of varying sizes, placed not on the squares, but on the intersections of lines. Note that most of the pieces on the red side bear different characters than their counterparts on the green side. The red pieces are traditional Chinese characters, and most of the green pieces show the same figures rendered in cursive. A few of the pieces have different characters altogether, as if to show that the two armies are truly different groups.
Each side of the board has a nine-point fortress, marked by an "X" of diagonal lines. Note that, unlike Chinese chess, the king (or general) begins in the center of the fortress. There will be a little shuffling of the pieces before play begins, which is discussed later.
The Pieces and Their Moves
Pieces are shown with their western names (king, queen, bishop), their Korean names, the meanings of the Korean names, and their moves.
King, "Koung," General
Must stay within the nine-point fortress. He moves one point along any printed line in the fortress. His move may be in any direction, as long as he follows a line.
Queen, "Sa," Counselor
Moves exactly the same as the king, and is also confined to the fortress.
Knight, "Ma," Horse
One point forward, backward, left or right plus one point outward diagonally. This is similar to the western knight, but the Korean knight can be blocked. If a piece stands on the first (orthogonal) point, the knight cannot move to the diagonal points beyond it; he is not blocked by a piece on the other side.
Bishop, "Syang," Elephant
This piece has a very unusual move, found only in Korean chess. He starts one point forward, backward, left or right, and then moves two points outward diagonally, like an extended knight's move. He can be blocked anywhere along this path (for example by a cannon or rook standing on the first point or on the intermediate diagonal point).
Rook, "Tcha," Chariot
Moves as many points as he wishes, in a straight line, along the lines of the board. This is the same move as the western rook, but note that the Korean rook can also move along the diagonal lines in the fortress, if he is already on one of these points. He cannot jump over pieces, and he captures as he moves.
Pawn, "Pyeng" (red) / "Tjol" (green), Foot Soldier
One point, either forward or sideways. Within the fortress, he may also move forward along the printed diagonal lines.
Cannon, "Hpo," Cannon (a leaping rook)
If you are acquainted with Chinese chess, note that the Korean cannon has some important differences. The cannon moves along any straight line, including the lines within the fortress, but must have exactly one piece to jump over. He may not jump over more than one piece, and may not move without jumping. He may not leap over another cannon (friend or foe), and may never capture another cannon. With all of these restrictions, the cannon is a relatively weak piece. He captures by jumping over one piece and landing on an enemy piece.
Before Play Begins
Before play begins, the players have the option of changing the positions of the bishops and knights. The first player, if he chooses, may place the bishop in the knight's place, and the knight in the bishop's place, on his left side, on his right side, or on both sides. The second player then has the same choices of bishop and knight placement. Each player must maintain one bishop and one knight on each side of his line-up; he cannot begin with two knights or two bishops together on his left or right. After the bishops and knights are arranged, the first player begins by moving a piece.
Play
The two sides alternate, moving one piece in each turn, in an attempt to force the capture of the enemy king (general), just as in other forms of chess. When a king is left with no option but to be captured in the next move, he is in checkmate, and has lost the game.
All pieces capture by using their normal moves and landing on a point occupied by an enemy piece. The enemy piece is removed from play for the rest of the game.
Note that, as a rule, pieces which move straight along the horizontal and vertical lines of the board also may move straight along the diagonal lines drawn within the fortress.
Facing Kings
The kings may not face each other, with no intervening pieces between them, except in the following case. If one player finds himself with less powerful pieces on the board than his opponent, he may take the option of facing the other king, with no pieces intervening between the two, placing the opponent in check. The opposing king must then move out of check, and the game continues. The player who uses this option, however, forsakes all possibility of winning the game. Even if, later, he checkmates the enemy king, the game is considered a draw. This special check by the king may happen more than once, by the same player.
A player may use his king to essentially defend an attacking piece in the enemy fortress, since the opponent cannot capture the piece with his king and face the opposing king (except in the above situation). If a player uses his king in this way, to defend a piece which is in the enemy fortress giving checkmate, the game is considered to be a draw, not a win.
Passing
If a player finds himself in a position in which he has no safe or desirable move, he may pass. To indicate this, he simply flips his king over in place, and it is the other player's turn once again.
Draws
If a player forces continual repetition of the same positions, and does not wish to break the pattern, the game is declared a draw.
Finally, if both players agree that there is no remaining possibility of either player winning the game, it is declared a draw.