The objective in Chinese Chess

(Xiangqi) is to checkmate the

opponent's General. You may

also win by bringing your

opponent to a stalemate; this

usually only happens when a

player is reduced to a lone

king forcing an illegal repetition

of moves. The horizontal

space across the center of

the board is the river separating

the territories of the two

sides. There are seven pieces

in Chinese Chess. Some

pieces are not allowed to

cross the river, whereas others

are promoted once they

cross it. The 3x3 box marked

with an "X" is the General's

imperial palace or fortress.

Each General and his Mandarins