The chess manuscript is simple and beautiful

The origin and history of Chinese chess

Chinese chess is a chess game that originated in China. It is a two-person confrontation game and has a long history in China. Due to its simple utensils and strong fun, it has become an extremely popular chess activity.

Chinese chess is a chess game that originated in China. The age of its production is unknown. Xiangqi has a long history in China. In the cultural classic of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, "The Songs of Chu. Soul Calling" contains the phrase: "There are six games to hide in chess." This shows that the term "xiangqi" already existed at that time. Of course, the chess at that time was not the chess today. Wang Yi's note on "Chu Ci" said that "Bo means playing six chess, so it is called Liubo."

Sima Qian also mentioned Liubo in "Historical Records". According to "Historical Records. Volume 69. Biography of Su Qin", it is recorded that at that time, the residents of Qi lived and worked in peace and contentment, "fighting cocks and running dogs, and playing Liubo and Taju". It can be seen that chess has become widely popular among the people at that time. In chess at that time, one side had six pieces, which was called "Liu Bo". According to the "Shuo Yuan" record: Yongmenzi Zhou met Mengchang Jun with a qin, and once said, "At one step... Yan will play chess and dance with Zheng Nu." It can be seen that at that time, chess was already very popular among high-ranking officials and scholar-bureaucrats.

The river boundary on the chessboard is also known as the "Chu River and Han boundary". This name may be influenced by the legend of the conflict between Chu and Han and Han Xin playing chess. There is no way to verify the legend, and most of it was added by later generations. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty compiled the "Xiang Jing", and the writer Yu Xin once wrote "Xiangqi Jingfu" and "Jin Xiangqi Jingfu". This shows that chess had already had a widespread influence on all walks of life at that time. Unfortunately, most of these works have been lost.

The "Xuzang Sutra" records: "Shennong used the sun, moon and stars as his symbols, and Tang Xiang Niu, Seng and Ru used chariots, horses, generals, soldiers, and soldiers to add cannons, and replaced them with chess." According to this record. , Chess before the Tang Dynasty did not have cannons, which coincided with the development of ancient Chinese military technology. After the addition of artillery, chess became similar to modern chess, or it became the prototype of modern chess.

As for the origin of Chinese chess, there are also several interesting legends in ancient Chinese literature

1. It originated from the Shennong family in the legendary era, such as Yuan Nianchang's "Buddha's Chronicles" "It is said that Shennong used the daily stars as symbols, and the Tang Xiangguo used chariots, horses, soldiers, and soldiers as machines."

2. The Yellow Emperor originated from the legendary era, such as Huang Bu in the Northern Song Dynasty "Guangxiang Opera Ge·Preface" says that elephants are used to play soldiers, and the Yellow Emperor's battles drive wild beasts into formations, and the beasts are majestic, so the soldiers are named after the elephant play.

3. It originated in the Zhou Dynasty. When King Wu was conquering Zhou, Xie Ming Dynasty wrote about Xiang Opera in "Wuzazu" in Hangzhou. It is said that it was written when Zhou Wu was conquering Zhou. If not, it was also the strategists of the Warring States Period, so it means that at that time, chariot warfare was still very important."

4. It originated during the Warring States Period. "Qianju Leishu" said that the Yongmen Zhou Dynasty said that Mengchang Jun was under the foot of Yan Jun, so he played chess, which was also a matter of the Warring States Period. For example, in the Warring States period, soldiers were used, so people used war elephants as chess positions."

5. It originated during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. "Taiping Yulan" said that Emperor Wu of the Zhou Dynasty made an elephant play. "Ming Luo Qi's "Source of Things" Talk about Emperor Wu of Zhou playing chess."