GENWiki

Premier IT Outsourcing and Support Services within the UK

User Tools

Site Tools


archive:fun:koreanc
                  The Rules for Korean Chess
                      by Roleigh Martin
                        Copyright 1995
                     All Rights Reserved
                           2-16-95
                     INTRO: TO THE READER

My wife is Chinese and after playing Chinese Chess and falling in love with the game, I learned about Korean Chess which is virtually identical in board and piece lay-out but different in move-rules. There is very little English literature on Korean Chess–I've found 2 chapters in English on the game. If anyone reading this can verify–or correct me if not–if I have the complete rules to Korean Chess. Please reply if I have made any mistakes or if you know that my rules are correct and complete.

I also wish to find out if there is any other software: public domain, freeware, shareware, or commercial ware on Korean Chess for MS-DOS computers. I know about JANGKI.ZIP. Can you please inform me of any such software and how I may obtain it (BBS phone numbers, FTP site names/directory/filename, or ordering address)? Thanks!

Last, is there any internet mailing list groups on Korean Chess? Is there any English language books or magazines on Korean Chess? Thanks again!

                       DISTRIBUTION POLICY

This document is copyrighted. It can be distributed electronically for non-commercial use as long as nothing is altered in this document. I am working on a book on Chinese and Korean Chess and intend to build upon this document for the chapter on Korean Chess.

                         ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Young Won, Compuserve ID 75541,2100 for his FLEFO forum message who confirmed this document with his message "It has been 10 years since I have played my last Korean Chess game. I briefly read the rules you posted (not line-by-line, though), and they seem to be in line with what I remember." In addition, he provided the Korean names and meanings of each piece which I've incorporated in this updated version of this document.

Thanks to J. Kim of HANAnet Operating Center (KTRC) (Internet address: jskim1@soback.hana.nm.kr) who pointed me to a public domain Korean Chess game, JANGKI.ZIP (Jang-gi V1.0, 1991.1.26) by Hak Jong Lee of Daejon, Korea, from kids.kotel.co.kr. There is a tiny README file but no copyright or distribution restrictions documented with the ZIP file–hence by inference it is in the public domain. (My FTP program could not access this using this hostname, but J. Kim informed me correctly of it's IP address: 128.134.2.51.) This file is in the directory, /pub/games. I got this feedback via the USENET group, soc.culture.korean.

JANGKI is a great DOS-based Korean Chess game. It supports CGA through VGA and works on a HP100/200 palmtop (but not under HP's System Manager; one must terminate that program and at the DOS level, play the game). To run the program, at the DOS prompt, move to the directory where you have installed these files and type: JT and press ENTER.

This program (JT.EXE) is quite nice as it allows human to play human or against the computer.

               BACKGROUND COMMENTARY & RESOURCE

Korean Chess can be played with a Chinese Chess Set – same pieces and board – but different rules. Actually quite fun! Very few Chinese people know this game – if you find yourself loosing to Chinese friends in Chinese Chess, play them a game of Korean Chess – you might win!

The below resource is still in print and has an entire chapter on Korean Chess – with rules, commentary and a sample game, on Korean Chess.

The shipping and handling fee is $3.00. Send check for $12.95 (if you live in the USA) and order to Mail Order Department, Dover Publications, 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014.

TITLE:  Korean  Games:  With Notes on the Corresponding 
   Games of China & Japan
AUTHOR: Culin, Stewart
SERIES: Puzzles Ser.
PUBLISHER: Dover  PUBLICATION DATE: 02/1991 (910201)
EDITION: Repr. of 1895 ed.   NO. OF PAGES: 256p.
LCCN: N/A
BINDING: pap. - $9.95
ISBN: 0-486-26593-5
VOLUME(S): N/A
ORDER NO.: N/A
IMPRINT: N/A
STATUS IN FILE: New (91-04)
NOTE(S): Illustrated
SUBFILE: PB (Paperbound Books in Print)

The below resource is out of print and also has an entire chapter on Korean Chess – with rules, commentary and a sample game, on Korean Chess.

TITLE: Chess Variations: Ancient, Regional & Modern
AUTHOR: Gollon, John E.
PUBLISHER: C E Tuttle  PUBLICATION DATE: 1973 (730101)
BINDING: pap. - $6.25
ISBN: 0-8048-1122-9
STATUS: Out of print (11-90)

Your library should be able to get the above through interlibrary loan. Also, I have been suggested to try (but did not, as the library succeeded): Howard Frisch, New and Antiguarian Books, Box 128, Village Station, New York City, NY 10014. The library actually got me the hard cover book, which was published in 1968. Instead of an ISBN number, it had only a Library of Congress Catalog Card Number, No. 68-11975.

                      NAMING CONVENTION

Korean Chess derives, historically, from Chinese Chess. Since the pieces in Chinese Chess have been given official English names by the international Chinese Chess Association, I will use the same English names for the Korean Chess pieces.

                         BOARD LAYOUT

The pieces are placed on the board gridlines not inside the squares as in Western Chess. The board has 9 columns (also called files or aisles) and 10 rows. The 9 columns are labeled A-I. The 10 rows are labeled 0-9.

Left to right on the rear row, the pieces are called:

Rook, Knight, Bishop, Guard, [empty], Guard, Bishop, Knight, Rook ® (n) (b) (g) (g) (b) (n) ®

Note: the Knight and Bishop can, as a setup option (not a move), be transposed on either or both sides or neither side. (The game JANGKI calls this a Pozin change and the default setup shown is to have the bottom side's righthand Bishop and Knight transposed and the top side's lefthand Bishop and Knight transposed.)

The second row only initially holds the king, abbreviated as (k), in the center of the row.

The third row only initially holds the two cannons, abbreviated as ©, each cannon being in the 2nd column from the edge.

The fourth row only initially holds the five pawns, abbreviated as (p), starting with a pawn on each edge column and then every OTHER column.

The initial board looks like the below (remember the knight and bishop can be transposed as a setup option). If you transpose the knight and bishop to just one side of the lineup, then the four pieces (your 2 knights and 2 bishops) can theoretically hit every spot on the board (not each piece but together the 4 pieces can "hit" every spot on the board granted enough moves are made). This setup transposition option doesn't count as a move.

In real life, the colors of the two pieces are either Black and Red, Green and Red, or Blue and Red.

(FIG 1: Knight and Bishop are not transposed.)

   9 [r][n][b][g]-+-[g][b][n][r]
   .  |  |  |  | \|/ |  |  |  |
   8  +--+--+--+-[k]-+--+--+--+   Note: the pieces are put
   .  |  |  |  | /|\ |  |  |  |   down on the gridpoints of
   7  +-[c]-+--+--+--+--+-[c]-+   board -- not inside the
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   squares as in Western Chess.
   6 [p]-+-[p]-+-[p]-+-[p]-+-[p]
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
   5  +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ 
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
   4  +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ 
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
   3 (P)-+-(P)-+-(P)-+-(P)-+-(P)
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
   2  +-(C)-+--+--+--+--+-(C)-+ 
   .  |  |  |  | \|/ |  |  |  |
   1  +--+--+--+-[K]-+--+--+--+ 
   .  |  |  |  | /|\ |  |  |  |
   0 (R)(N)(B)(G)-+-(G)(B)(N)(R)
   .  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I

(FIG 2: One Knight and Bishop are transposed – this is the default setup shown in the JANGKI software version of Korean Chess; one is allowed to change this setup, but this is the default setup.)

   9 [r][n][b][g]-+-[g][n][b][r]
   .  |  |  |  | \|/ |  |  |  |
   8  +--+--+--+-[k]-+--+--+--+ 
   .  |  |  |  | /|\ |  |  |  |
   7  +-[c]-+--+--+--+--+-[c]-+ 
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
   6 [p]-+-[p]-+-[p]-+-[p]-+-[p]
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
   5  +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+   Note:
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | <-This row is the "river"
   4  +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+   in Chinese Chess and on
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   a Chinese Chess board,
   3 (P)-+-(P)-+-(P)-+-(P)-+-(P)  the middle 7 vertical
   .  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   lines of this single row
   2  +-(C)-+--+--+--+--+-(C)-+   are not painted on a 
   .  |  |  |  | \|/ |  |  |  |   Chinese Chess board.
   1  +--+--+--+-[K]-+--+--+--+ 
   .  |  |  |  | /|\ |  |  |  |
   0 (R)(N)(B)(G)-+-(G)(N)(B)(R)
   .  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I

I do not know the answer to the inevitable question: "If your opponent transposes the knight and bishop on his left side, do you normally transpose your bishop and knight on your right side or left side? (I know it is legal to do either, neither or both; but I am asking this from a sound strategy basis.)" I assume one would transpose on the same aisle as the opponent, as that is how the software program, JANGKI defaults to doing–even though the user has the choice to do otherwise.

On the board are two fortresses (also called castles) which is a 3x3 grid in the center of the 1st 3 rows of both sides, in which the king and his two guards must remain–they can not leave the fortress–however, as will be explained below, the king can perform a check against the other king from within the fortress. Inside the fortress, there are diagonal lines that form a big "X" inside the fortress.

On a Chinese Chess Board, there is a river that "exists" in the middle row of the board; it does not exist in Korean Chess. If one plays Korean Chess with a Chinese Chess board, one ignores the "river" of the Chinese Chess board. In both Korean and Chinese Chess, one has to move a full step to move across the center row, regardless of whether it's called a "river" or not (as in Korean Chess). Bottom line: in Korean Chess and Chinese Chess, there are 10 rows. In Chinese Chess, moving from the 5th to the 6th row is "moving across the river" where the pawns gain the power to move one step sideways–and where the Bishops can not move across. In Korean Chess, the pawns can move sideways one step immediately and the Bishops can move anywhere on the board that is legal for a given move.

Actually, the real Korean Chess set uses 8-sided pieces not round pieces as in Chinese Chess. Also not all the pieces are the same diameter as they are in Chinese Chess. The red pieces are 100% identical but the blue have four pieces that use brush/script style Chinese calligraphy and the pieces are difficult to translate – I had to ask a Korean shopper in the Korean Grocery store that I found the set at to identify the blue pieces. (My Chinese Chess friends recognize these four different charactered Blue pieces.) The board doesn't have a blank (no vertical lines) river across the middle of the board as in Chinese Chess – that's because there is no promotion or barrier concept in Korean Chess as there is in Chinese Chess. Again, you can play Korean and/or Chinese Chess with either country's pieces/board. One thing nice, the Korean Grocery store had the pieces for only $4 and a nice wooden board for only $10.

Each piece is inscribed with a corresponding Chinese character. However, on the King pieces, "Han" is inscribed on the red team, and "Cho" is described on the blue (or green) team. Han and Cho are names of two dynasties (or kingdoms) that were at war with each other. (Note: "Han" and "Cho" is not what you call the individual King pieces – these names refer to the "team names" –the actual King piece names are shown below.)

I do not know the OFFICIAL conventional English spellings of the Korean names for these pieces. Below I redescribe these pieces per their Chinese names as well as the Korean spellings I've been given by one Korean Chess player who has not played in 10 years (see Acknowledgement section above).

QUESTION TO ANY EXPERIENCED KOREAN CHESS PLAYER: Can anyone in this group provide me with confirmation or correction of the below Korean names as they are spelled out in English? Thanks! In particular, are the Korean names for the Red and Blue King correct or should they be transposed (if so, the Korean Jang would be very close to the Pinyin Jiang).

                                   CANTO-

COORDINATES COLOR ENGLISH PINYIN NESE KOREAN A0,I0,A9,I9 both Rook Ju Kui Cha or Tcha B0,H0,B9,H9 both Knight Ma Ma Ma C0,G0 Red Bishop Xiang Sheung Sang or Syang C9,G9 Blue Bishop Xiang Cheung Sang or Syang D0,F0,D9,F9 both Guard Shi See Sa E1 Red King Shuai Sui Jang* E8 Blue King Jiang Cheung Wang* B2,H2,B7,H7 both Cannon Pao Pow Po or Hpo A3,C3,E3,G3,I3 Red Pawn Bing Ping Byung or Pyeng A6,C6,E6,G6,I6 Blue Pawn Zu Tsut Jol or Tjol

Note: the Korean names first spelled out are those obtained from Korean Chess player whom I've corresponded with on Compuserve, Young Won. The two chapters on Korean Chess, cited above, provide the "or…" variation. For the King (*), they provide two alternate names, neither depicting color specific names. Koung or Tyang is what John Gollon provides; Tjyang or Koung is what Stewart Culin provides. The Koung, Culin, explains is the generic term for both–as it is similarly pronounced in Chinese Chess by the Cantonese–meaning "general." For the Pawn (**), Culin provides the Pyeng to be the Red, and Tjol to be the Blue. Gollon provides the same two spellings but does not tie them to a color.

Sometimes you'll hear Chinese Chess players translate the chess pieces to different English names – the ones above are the "official" English names – the ones below are others you might hear and they are presented here for you to maintain understanding in real life play:

      OFFICIAL  
      ENGLISH   ALTERNATE ENGLISH NAMES GIVEN THESE PIECES
      Rook      Car              Chariot         Tank
      Knight    Horse
      Bishop    Prime Minister   Elephant        Minister
      Guard     Counsellor       Advisor
      King      General          Emperor
      Cannon    Catapult
      Pawn      Soldier          Foot Soldier
      
                     TRANSLATION TIDBITS
      

The Arabic name for "Chariot" is pronounced "Rook." The Chinese symbol for Chariot is now used for the symbol for a car.

In the traditional Chinese Character for the Knight, the "Ma" – which means "horse, you'll note the four depicted legs in the red character (the pieces in real life are like Checkers but with the Chinese character written on top of the piece) – these are the horse's legs.

The historical reason the pieces are depicted differently for both sides (although modern sets use the same depiction for the Rook, Knight and sometimes the Cannon), is that players could tell whose piece was whose even if the colors wore out. For instance, Red has as it's bishop the Chinese Character for Prime Minister, while Blue (or Green or Black) has as it's bishop the Chinese Character for Elephant. They both have identical powers however.

                    THE OBJECT OF THE GAME

The object of the game is identical to Western and Chinese Chess: to checkmate the enemy king–that is, to place the enemy king in a position of entrapment from which it can not save itself. A stalemate is possible where neither side recognizes that neither side can win by checkmate.

                   THE PIECE MOVEMENT RULES

1. The rook moves identical to the Western Chess and Chinese

  Chess rook, with one exception: 
  a.  for movement, it can move as far horizontally or 
      vertically as it has clear passage to move.  The movement 
      for one move must be that of one single straight line. 
  b.  in addition, for movement, the rook can move as far down 
      a fortress single diagonal line as long as there is clear 
      passage and the movement remains that of a single 
      straight line (this means the starting position has to be 
      in one of the corners or the center of the fortress). 
  c.  for capture, the rook during it's normal movement, can 
      take any enemy piece that it first bumps into (there must 
      not be any intervening same-side piece). 

2. The knight ends up moving identically to the western knight,

  and it moves identical to the Chinese Chess knight.  The 
  knight however must make its move by first moving one step 
  vertically or horizontally and then one outward diagonal step 
  and in this movement, there must be clear passage.  Thus, the 
  initial two places that the knight at B0 can move to are A2 
  or C2.  It can not initially move to D1 because the Bishop at 
  C0 is in the way. 

3. The bishop, unlike its Chinese Chess "cousin", is like a

  giant knight.  It moves 3 positions away from itself: first 
  by going one step horizontally or vertically and then TWO 
  outward diagonal steps and there must be clear passage.  Thus 
  in Figure 2 above, the Bishop at C0 can not move as it is 
  blocked, but it does protect the center Pawn.  The Bishop at 
  H0 can move to F3.  
  As mentioned above, unlike Chinese Chess, the Bishop is not 
  only a defensive piece, it can move onto the enemy's side of 
  the board and be an offensive piece (as is true for both 
  Chinese and Korean Chess for all other pieces but the King 
  and Guards). 
  (For the curious, the Chinese Chess Bishop is a defensive 
  piece, and can only move two diagonal places at a time (not 
  any more nor less; and the passage must be clear) and the 
  Chinese Chess Bishop can not cross the "river"--it must stay 
  within the 1st 4 rows of it's home side.) 

4. The Guard and King move identical to each other. They are

  both limited to the center 3x3 fortress that resides in the 
  1st 3 rows of one's home side.  Each piece can only move 1 
  step down any painted straight line whether or not the line 
  is a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line.  This is 
  different than Chinese Chess wherein the Guard can only move 
  diagonally and the King can only move horizontally or 
  vertically. 

5. The cannon, with several restrictions named below, moves and

  captures by making one jump during a single straight line 
  move.  The straight line move can be down a single vertical 
  line, a single horizontal line, or a single diagonal line in 
  either fortress (provided the cannon's starting position is 
  on a fortress border gridpoint). 

Note: a fortress canon diagonal move can't start from the

  dead center of the fortress but a canon can land in the 
  fortress dead center from a normal vertical or horizontal 
  move or jump. But once inside the center of the fortress, the 
  canon can make a move or jump away by going horizontally or 
  vertically. 
  The canon, when it moves, has to jump over a single non-canon 
  piece, regardless whether the jumped-over piece belongs to 
  his side or the enemy side.  When making a move (not a 
  capture), the canon can land on any empty gridpoint that 
  exists on the other side of the jumped-over piece.  That 
  landed-onto (previously) empty gridpoint can be immediately 
  on the other side of the jumped-over piece or several 
  gridpoints beyond that jumped-over piece. 
  The canon, when it captures, has to jump as in a normal move, 
  but instead of landing onto an empty gridpoint, it has to 
  land onto an enemy piece that it encounters in, what would 
  otherwise be a normal jump-type-move.  The jumped-over piece 
  is not captured--it is that second piece encountered in the 
  jump that is captured.  Remember, the 1st piece can be of 
  either color; the 2nd piece--that is jumped-onto (not over) 
  has to be that of the enemy. 
  The cannon can't jump over a cannon (either color).
  The cannon can't capture a cannon.
  The cannon can not make the first move in a game (unlike 
  Chinese Chess). 
  Note: the Korean canon is very different than the Chinese 
  Chess canon wherein the Chinese Chess canon moves like a rook 
  but jumps like a Korean Chess canon (but unlike the Korean 
  canon, the Chinese Chess canon can jump over or jump onto 
  another canon). 
  

6. The pawn moves the same way it captures: it can move either

  one step forward or one step sideways.  It can never move 
  backward. It can move forward down a diagonal line in the 
  enemy's fortress. If during that one step move, it moves onto 
  an enemy's occupied, position, it is a capture of that enemy 
  piece. 
  If the pawn makes it to the last row, it can only move 
  sideways then. 
  For the curious, the Chinese Chess pawn is different; it 
  can't move sideways until after getting to it's 6th row 
  (called after crossing the river) and it can't move down the 
  diagonal line in the enemy's fortress. 

7. Special end game notes:

  a.  Neither side ordinarily want to allow the two kings to 
      face each other naked (in Chinese Chess but not Korean 
      Chess, the side that causes this to happens loses the 
      game).  Facing each other "naked," means that there are 
      no intervening chess pieces.                                
      
      If you cause this to happen in Korean Chess, you are 
      placing the other King in check in a desparate last-
      chance move on your part for you irreversably foresake 
      the right to checkmate the other side--you are hoping for 
      a stalemate, which would be the case if the other side 
      can not get out of that desparate check. 
      This is the case even if the game continues for many 
      moves and even if otherwise the game could have gone into 
      a good checkmate, the side that initially caused the two 
      kings to be naked can at best only obtain a stalemate. 
      I call this (I do not claim originality though) the 
      "Kings Naked Rule." 
      
  b.  Gollon adds the rule (page 159, hardbound edition) that 
      "If in mating, the mating piece is defended by only the 
      allied 'king'--i.e., if the piece is on an open file 
      occupied by its 'king' and therefore cannot be captured 
      by the checked king because of the above rules, the game 
      is only drawn."  
      
      This is the different in Chinese Chess; for there one 
      frequently will use one's King to protect a piece who is 
      making check and who otherwise would be captured by the 
      King being checked--in Chinese Chess, that is considered 
      successful checkmate--it is a win, not a draw. 
  c.  Unlike Chinese Chess, if you have no other move to make, 
      except to put your King in check or checkmate, you can 
      "pass."  In other words, your King can stand still, if it 
      stays in safety and there are no other pieces it can move 
      at all (regardless if those other pieces would be 
      captured or not) and if it would otherwise (if a move had 
      to be made) cause the king to move into check or 
      checkmate.  Gollon states that one declares his pass by
      turning his King over, upside down, on the same spot.

8. As a reminder, the pawn, cannon, and rook get to treat the

  diagonal lines in either fortress (except the pawn can only 
  get to the enemy fortress) as ordinary straight lines that 
  they can move on -- except the pawn can only move to the side 
  or forward -- but the pawn can move forward to the rear line 
  down the diagonal. 

9. Unlike Chinese Chess, the double cannon lineup against a king

  poses no immediate threat -- the rear cannon can't jump over 
  the front cannon, remember.  (In Chinese Chess, if the 
  farthest away canon from the enemy king is safe and if no 
  opponent's piece can intervene between the two canons, the 
  game is over if the King is unable to move sideways, which 
  can often be the case.) 
                        [End of Document]
/data/webs/external/dokuwiki/data/pages/archive/fun/koreanc.txt · Last modified: 1999/09/08 05:41 by 127.0.0.1

Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki