Feng Ping, Poland Central European review reporterI started to learn how to play Chinese chess from my father when I was a child. When I came to study in Poland, in order to enrich my life abroad, I decided to learn international chess from my classmates. Luckily, some of my classmates were very good at playing chess.

Gradually, I became addicted to playing. I find that there are some differences between Chinese chess and international chess. Though I am still not a master, I am deeply interested in the philosophy behind the game. Cultural differences can also be seen from the two games.

There are many legends of the origins of chess. Both Chinese chess and international chess were formed through continuous wars in history.

As for international chess, a more reliable argument is that it was invented by ancient Indians. It was developed based on the composition of ancient Indian armies. Through war, trade and religious communication, Indian chess spread to Europe and developed with time. It finally became the modern chess that we play now.

As to Chinese chess, there are also numerous statements of the origin of Chinese chess. Some legends said that Chinese chess could be traced back to the time of Shen Nong; some thought it started from Yellow Emperor; some considered it originating from Zhou Wu Wang period.

However, the most popular saying on the origin of Chinese chess starts from Han Dynasty (202B.C. — 220A.D.). It was invented to minimize a real war between the Chu and the Han.

From the chess board, on the border there are Chinese characters “Chu” (楚河) and “Han” (汉界), indicating that Chinese chess is a model of a real war in Han Dynasty when Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought for the monarchy.

Chinese chess continued developing until Song Dynasty (960-1279) when the final strategies and rules were formed.

The chess board is a battle itself, and there are various strategies to win the war. It developed through the history. It tests the players’ intelligence, courage, and personality. There are a lot of similarities of rules and strategies between Chinese chess and international chess.

There are both 32 pieces in international chess and Chinese chess. The movement of some pieces like the rock, knight (horse), bishop (elephant) and pawns (soldiers) are similar. Some strategies like “check the king,” “setting up the traps,” and “seeing the overall situation of the game,” are very important strategies in both Western and Chinese chess.

When I am playing the different versions of chess with friends, I can strongly feel the difference between Chinese culture and Western culture in the game.