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Dedication

This modest introduction to Korean chess (장기) is dedicated to all of my friends at the Memphis Chess Club, aspiring players of the game of Korean chess and adherents to the game we know as Western chess or simply, chess.

It is my hope that this publication will serve as a conduit for native Korean speakers to garner some knowledge of English by a gentle perusal of this book.

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend very special thanks and gratitude to my friends in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Dwight Weaver provided invaluable insight and of course, Kenn Thompson, gave me great ideas and suggestions for enhancing the content of this book.

Kenn employed his great skill in programming and editing to produce a final copy of this book.

Charles Kim, from Seoul, Korea, provided some valuable insight and introduced me to the Korean chess group on Facebook.

In addition, I gained some insight from a nifty Korean chess application for computers called Jangi DoSa. It is currently only available in the Korean language.

I have used it for additional diagrams and the incorporation of the traditional method of Korean chess notation.

I would also like to acknowledge my friends, students, fellow professors and other people associated with Semyung University in Jecheon, South Korea.

(세명대학교, 대한민국, 충북도, 제천시.)

Foreword

The express purpose of this modest entry is to introduce the ancient game of Korean chess to those outside of Asia. In addition for those already familiar with the game, it may serve as a modest guide to English.

It is not a difficult game to learn yet, it is a difficult game to master. However, with a modicum of study, one may achieve a satisfactory level of expertise.

I have drawn on my many years of experience and study of the Western game of chess in order to draw parallels and make appropriate relationships.

In addition, I have adopted an algebraic notation system in order to make it easier to follow the game scores. However, I will also describe some of the more traditional notation systems and include the game scores along with my annotated games.

It is my hope that this brief introductory view of the ancient game of Korean chess (장기) will provide a sufficient amount of inspiration to at least give the game a try. You may find that it is worthy of further study and exploration.

History of Korean Chess

As is true with many games of ancient strategy, the origins of the game have not been accurately recorded or otherwise specifically noted in detail. Nevertheless, the historical origins of the game are not without speculation and theories.

Here is one anecdote about the history of Western chess:

Once upon a time, there was a queen who had two sons. The two sons entered into the fray of battle for the sake of the kingdom. One son suffered his demise in the fray of battle. The Queen was quite remorseful and blamed the surviving son for the death of her other son. The surviving son pleaded innocence and desired to be absolved from blame.

The Queen, who was very wise and understanding, convened a committee of the best minds in her court to create a reconstruction of the battlefield so that she could fully understand the situation. The esteemed members of the court concocted a visual representation of the battlefield. It was replete with foot soldiers, elephants, cavalry, catapults, guards and more. The visual representation of a battle field was transformed onto a board from which analysis could be performed.

Many games of ancient battle strategy have emerged from this idea. We have Chinese chess, Shogi, Western chess, Janggi and other derivatives. So, it may be safe to say that these games share a common ancestry.

The game of Western chess has experienced many changes over the course of time. Ironically, the game of Korean chess has remained basically the same over the centuries. As pundits are wont to say, “if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it.” That being said, there exist valid and substantial reasons for the evolution of chess. In fact, it is still undergoing transformation with the inclusion of variants and suggestions for alternative pieces and boards. Nevertheless, the game stands on its own and continues to be popular throughout the world.

Naturally, one may presume that the origins of the game derive from a model for war as depicted in ancient times. As such, the representations of the individual pieces support this notion. For example, in Korean chess, there are two opposing palaces. The Generals reside within each castle supported by two powerful guards. As opposed to Western chess, the General may not leave the confines of the castle. In addition, the guards are also relegated to remain within the castle. This is a significant departure from Western chess in that the King may enter the foray of the battle and plays a significant force to be reckoned with in many situations.

The elephants are able to traverse a great deal of territory. Yet, their mobility is limited. The elephants might be closely related to the bishops in Western chess. The original game of Western chess has undergone many significant changes with respect to the movement of the pieces and strategy.

In the game of Korean chess, the elephants may provide support to other pieces which may venture into enemy territory. Their mobility is somewhat restricted due to the nature of their movement. This seems to be an accurate portrayal of ancient warfare. Elephants were impressive, yet lacked quick and agile mobility.

The horses or cavalry possess much greater mobility. The flexibility of the horse in comparison with the elephant makes the horse a much more formidable piece with respect to attack as well as defense.

The chariot may be the most powerful piece in Korean chess. It has the power to move horizontally and vertically across the board. It may not jump over other pieces, though.

A piece that is unique to Korean chess as opposed to Western chess is the catapult. The catapult may only move by jumping over another piece. The exception is that the catapult may not jump over its own catapult or opposing catapults. In addition, catapults may not capture opposing catapults. Historically, catapults were long-range artillery weapons. Concomitantly, the catapults share this ability for long-range operations.

The two guards reside and must remain within the castle. Their function is to protect the General. The guards are strictly defensive pieces, but are very powerful in this regard. Historically, it may be safe to say that there were members of the General’s court which stayed behind to guard the General at all costs. They would have had to possess great defensive skills and protect the General from all threats.

Finally, we have the infantry. In Western chess, these are the pawns. In Korean chess, they are soldiers. The five soldiers occupy the front row. In unison, the soldiers may protect each other, provide significant defensive capability, initiate attacks and breach the enemy fortress.

There is no promotion rule in Korean chess as there is in Western chess for pawns or soldiers. Once a soldier penetrates enemy territory, it becomes more powerful, but only to a certain extent.

Introduction to Korean Chess (장기)

This introduction presumes a knowledge of Western chess. However, it is not absolutely necessary. There are enough similarities to make a comparison worthwhile, didactic and easier for the player of Western chess to assimilate.

Even though many more players play Western chess world-wide, Korean chess has a devoted base of players and fans. It may be argued that the game complexity of Korean chess rivals or even exceeds Western chess. This reasoning is based mainly on the mathematical game trees of both games.

Korean chess is played on a game board consisting of nine files or columns and ten ranks or rows. Additionally, Korean chess pieces are placed and played on the intersections of the lines. Thus, there are 90 points of intersection or points in Korean chess.

Western chess is played on a 64 square board with light and dark squares.

The pieces are placed within the squares. The following diagram shows the layout of a Korean chess board. I have appended labels for an algebraic notation system.

A Word About Notation

For the most part, in this introduction to Korean chess, I will use an algebraic notation system. It is arguably the most expedient system to use for recording and analyzing games and is currently the most recognized method of transcription for games of Western chess. It is also employed in the transcription of Chinese chess, from which Korean chess is derived.

Even so, I will also include the method of notation recognized by most players of Korean chess. It is a numerical system which includes the point of origin, the piece moved and the destination point.

Description of the Pieces

Each player starts with five soldiers or pawns, two elephants, two guards, two horses or knights, two cannons, two chariots and one general. The general and guards may not move outside of the nine point palace. (궁 宮) The name of the palace is pronounced “goong,” in Korean.

Here is a chart which shows the distribution of the pieces, symbols, names, abbreviations, maximum mobility and a suggested relative value.

Naturally, the relative value of each piece will vary depending on the position.

The maximum mobility is calculated by determining the most moves possible in an open position, i.e. no obstacles. You may notice that the pawn and the chariot gain mobility if they happen to be in the center of the palace. This fact should be considered when evaluating an endgame position.

Movement of the Pieces

Let’s consider the movement of the 병, (兵), , .

This piece may be referred to as a “soldier,” but I will use the term, “pawn,”

since its movement is similar in many respects to the pawn of Western chess.

The pawn in Korean chess may move forward or laterally one square at a time. It may not move backwards. Thus, if a pawn reaches the last rank, its mobility is severely limited. The pawn in Western chess may promote to another piece once it reaches the eighth rank.

As in Western chess, pieces in Korean chess capture opposing pieces

in the same manner of their movement. Consequently, adjacent pawns

in Korean chess may protect each other.

Next, we will examine the movements of the General (장) and the Guards (사).

These pieces are examined together since their movements are confined to the

nine point squares defined as follows: d1-d3, e1-e3, f1-f3 and d8-d10, e8-e10, f8-f10.

These two areas may be referred to as their respective palaces.

The General and its two guards may not move outside of the palace.

The limited mobility of the guards relegate them to defensive roles.

There are other limitations and some attacking potential associated with

the alignment of the General with the opposing General.

This will be addressed later on.

The most powerful piece in Korean chess is the Chariot (차).

The movement of the Chariot is equivalent to the rook in Western chess.

The notable exception is the one-time special move of the rook during

castling in Western chess. In addition, the Chariot may also move diagonally

when it is within the palace. Otherwise, it may not move in a diagonal direction.

Chariots may not jump over pieces.

The Chariot has the greatest degree of mobility in the game of Korean chess.

So, it can be utilized as a powerful attacking piece.

Two Chariots working in tandem, similar to doubled rooks, pose a formidable weapon. I’ll provide more concrete examples in the strategy section.

The Cannon (포) does not have a direct counterpart in Western chess.

The main point to remember is that the Cannon requires a piece to jump over in

order to move and capture. This may be an opposing piece or one of its own pieces. The Cannon may not jump over or capture another Cannon.

The peculiar attribute of the Cannon allows for the creative use of discovered attacks.

The Elephant, (상) while not having a direct corresponding piece

in Western chess, might be compared to a very limited bishop or perhaps a

knight in combination with a bishop. The Elephant moves one point forward,

backwards or laterally and then diagonally two points in either direction.

Inhibiting the mobility of the Elephant though, is its inability to jump over pieces.

Even so, placed in the center of the board, without hindrances, the Elephant has a

range of eight moves. This rarely happens in practice, though.

That being said, the elephant is capable of supporting a more powerful piece,

such as the chariot inside the palace, from a distance.

The blue arrows indicate legal moves. The red arrow shows that the

Green (초) elephant cannot move in the indicated direction because of

the interposing piece.

It may be safe to conclude that the relative value of the elephant

grows as more pieces are removed from the board and the endgame approaches.

The movement of the Horse (마) , is very similar to the knight in

Western chess. The Horse moves forward, laterally or backwards one point and

then one point diagonally. It may not jump over pieces, though. The Horse and

Elephant are capable of fork attacks which will be described later.

Starting Positions

In competitive play, there are four basic types of starting positions.

They are based on the symmetry or asymmetry of the alignment between

the horses and elephants of each player. For example, The Han side places the

elephants and horses in one of four positions and the Cho side may select

any of the four elephant/horse positions. There are two ways to arrange the elephant and horse on the left flank and two ways to arrange them on the right flank. They are illustrated as follows:

I) Horses are placed on c1 and h1. Elephants are placed on b1 and g1. In Korean, this is called: 귀마. (gwee ma)

II) Horses are placed on b1 and h1. Elephants are placed on c1 and g1. In Korean, this is called: 원앙마.

III) Horses are placed on c1 and g1. Elephants are on b1 and h1. This is the 양귀마 position in Korean.

IV) Horses are placed on b1 and g1. Elephants are on c1 and h1.

This is the 맞상장기 starting position.

Illustrative Game Excerpts

In this section, some game excerpts will be presented. I will use the algebraic notation system described before. The coordinate will represent the originating point and the second coordinate will represent the target or destination coordinate.

For the sake of brevity, I have decided to forgo appending piece names to the notation. However, in my annotations I may refer to a piece by its abbreviation as noted in my piece description section.

Game 1 – Opening position: I vs. I

Game 1 – Moves

For brevity’s sake, I will refer to the Cho (초) side as Cho (green) and the Han (한) side as Han.

Cho

Han

Comments

a7-b7

i4-h4

Cho moves a pawn laterally to b7 in order to activate the chariot on

the a file. Han responds by doing the same thing on the right flank.

Pressure is exerted on the a4 and i7 pawns, respectively.

h10-g8

h1-g3

Cho develops the horse to a central location. This also serves to give the cannon some mobility along the 8th rank.

Han follows suit by developing the horse on the same flank.

h8-e8

h3-e3

Centralization of the cannons serves a dual purpose. The cannons

exert pressure on the e pawns and also defend the general. It is

interesting to note that these cannons now have six possible moves.

e7-f7

This is essentially a clearance move, although it also serves to

reinforce the f7, g7 points. With respect to clearance, the elephant

on g10 can now move to e7. The horse on g8 may also move to e7.

c1-d3

This is a logical course of development. The horse is better suited

toward the center, accomplishing defensive and offensive tasks.

g10-e7

This is a strong location for the elephant. It attacks two pawns

simultaneously (an elephant fork attack) and supports the cannon's

pressure down the e file. How will Han defend the c4 pawn?

c4-c5

Han chooses to advance the c pawn. The pawn is now safe, but it

leaves a hole on c4. (see diagram)

The game continues with:

Cho

Han

i10-h10

The chariot moves to the h file. This allows Cho to find a more active

location for the chariot.

d1-d2?

The idea behind this move is to fortify the palace, but it seems to be

a bit on the passive side considering Cho's initiative.

h10-h6

The chariot is now very actively placed. The immediate threat is

h6-a6 winning Han's pawn on the "a" file.

b1-d4

The elephant moves to c4 and now defends the a6 point,

discouraging the chariot on h6 from moving there.

However, as we shall see, there is a flaw in this maneuver.

e7-c4

Now, Cho occupies the "hole" created earlier. The elephant attacks

Han's chariot on a1 and also blocks Han's elephant on c4.

a1-a2

Han's chariot must remain on the "a" file in order to defend the pawn

on a4.

h6-a6

After this move, Han's pawn on a4 cannot be defended, so Cho wins

material. Thus, we see the flaw in Han's earlier play. It would have

been better to simply advance the a4 pawn to a5. (see diagram)

This position demonstrates the power of doubled chariots on the

same file.

Game Excerpt 2

Initial Position:

	Cho	Han


1	a7-b7	i4-h4	The pawns open the file allowing the chariots clearance.
2	h10-g8	h1-g3	Developing the horse and allowing the cannon to move.
3	h8-e8	h3-e3	Cannons move to the strategically important center file.
4	e7-f7	c1-d3	Cho clears the way for the elephant on g10. Han develops the other horse.
5	g10-e7	c4-c5	The elephant attacks the pawn on c4. Han responds by advancing the pawn.
6	i10-h10	d1-d2	Cho moves the chariot to a half-open file. Han clears the back rank for the general.
7	h10-h6	a4-a5	Cho threatens h6-a6. Han defends the point. Note how this differs from the previous game, in which Han was unable to defend the pawn on a4. So, this move is an improvement. (see diagram – 7. … a4-a5)
8	c10-d8	i1-i5	The second horse is developed towards the center. Han places its chariot on an active point.
9	e7xg4	h4xg4	Cho sacrifices an elephant for active play by the chariot.
10	h6-h3		Cho threatens to capture the horse on g3. The cannon on e3 cannot capture
			the chariot due to the pin on the e file. (see diagram)

In this position, the only defense is to move the cannon on e3 to another rank.

This allows the cannon on b3 to defend the horse on g3.

The game continues as follows:

10		e3-e5
11	c7-c6	c5-d5	Cho tries to advance the horse with an exchange on c6. Han declines by moving the pawn laterally to d5..
12	b10-d7	e2-d1	Cho develops the second elephant. Han's general retreats to a safer position.
			Han also threatens a discovered attack on B's chariot on h3.
13	g8-e7	e4-d4	Cho attacks the pawn on d5. Han places a defender on d4. By the way, doubled pawns would be a positional deficit in Western chess.
14	i7-h7	f1-e2	Cho moves the pawn on i7 since it was en prise. Han reinforces the palace position.
15	d10-d9	g4-f4	Cho advances a guard to solidify the palace position. Han moves the g pawn in an effort to gain some counterplay in the center and this move also allows the Horse on g3 to advance with a discovered attack on Cho’s chariot.

Game Excerpt 3

This game follows the moves of game 2 until move 11. The moves to this point are:

Cho

Han

a7-b7

i4-h4

h10-g8

h3-g3

h8-e8

h1-e3

e7-f7

c1-d3

g10-e7

c4-c5

i10-h10

d1-d2

h10-h6

a4-a5

c10-d8

i1-i5

e7xg4

h4xg4

h6-h3

e3-e5

c7-c6

This is where Han departs from the previous game. The next moves follow:

11		e2-d1	Han moves the general to the first rank allowing an
			exchange on c5.
12	c6xc5	g3-e2	Han cannot recapture on c5 immediately because the horse
			on g3 would be unprotected by the cannon. So, g3-e2 is
			a Zwischenzug which attacks Cho's chariot on h3.
13	h3-h6	d3xc5	Cho's chariot retreats to the 6th rank and Han recaptures on c5.
14	h6-c6	e5-e3	Cho attacks the horse on c5. After e5-e3, the chariot on i5
			protects the horse on c5.
15	b8-b5!		This is an elegant move! The pawn on a5 is pinned by the
			chariot on a10. In addition, the cannon attacks the chariot
			on i5.

Here are the next few moves:

Cho

Han

i5-i3

Han's chariot retreats to i3.

It’s interesting to point out that if the Horse on c5 moves then Cho will checkmate Han by playing c6-c1#.

c6xc5

e3-e1

Cho captures the horse on c5. Han must still guard against check on c1 by moving the cannon to e1.

b5-d5+

Cho delivers check on the Han general with the cannon.

Cho has a significant material and positional advantage in this position.

Game Excerpt 4

In this game, Han , fails to create sufficient counterplay and Cho launches an effective combination with two elephants and two chariots.

Cho

Han

Comments

a7-b7

i4-h4

h10-g8

h1-g3

h8-e8

h3-e3

e7-f7

c1-d3

Cho clears the e7 point for the elephant. Han continues to develop.

g10-e7

The Cho elephant forks the c4 and g4 pawns.

e4-d4

Han decides to protect the c pawn by moving the e pawn laterally to d4.

i10-h10

g1-e4

Cho occupies the half-open file and Han develops the elephant to e4.

a10-a6

d1-d2

Cho increases the mobility of its chariot and controls the 6th rank.

Han advances the palace guard to d2.

b10-d7

e2-d1

Both of Cho's elephants are in strong central attacking positions.

a6-c6

Han places the General on d1.

Now, Cho threatens to exchange its Elephant for two pawns on c4.

a4-b4

This move seems natural, but it allows Cho to execute a nice

combination which exploits the Han general's vulnerability with the

check on the c file.

The game continues:

Cho

Han

d7xb4!

Cho captures on b4 in order to open the c file.

c4xb4

If d3xb4, then 11. e7xc4 d4xc4 12. c6xc4 and Cho seems better.

e7xg4

h4xg4

Cho sacrifices the other elephant in order to open the h file.

Cho has exchanged two Elephants for two of Han’s pawns with very active play as compensation.

c6-c1+

d1-e2

Cho gives check on c1 and the Han General must escape to e2.

h10-h2

e2-f3

In retrospect, the previous maneuvers of the Han general seem suspect.

If 13. … f1-f2, then Cho will capture the chariot on i1 with c1 x i1. It’s another example of a pin.

h2xd2

f1-e2

There aren't many choices for Han in this position. Han attacks the chariot on d2 with the guard, hoping to exchange chariots.

d2xe2+

f3xe2

Cho gains more material by a "desperado" maneuver. Han is obligated to recapture immediately with the General.

c1xi1

Cho has a substantial material advantage along with a more active position. (see diagram)

Game Excerpt 5

The following game excerpt is an interesting example of material imbalance.

Cho (楚), manages to gain a dynamic position from active play along the g file.

Cho

Han

Comments

a7-b7

i4-h4

Each side opens with file clearance on their respective flanks.

h10-g8

c1-d3

Each side develops a Horse towards the center.

h8-e8

h1-g3

Cho develops the Cannon to the center and Han develops the other H.

e8-h8

Cho moves the C to the h file attacking Han’s Chariot on i1.

This seems like a petty attack on the Chariot, but it turns out to be

an effective maneuver.

i1-h1

Han moves the Chariot off of the file to h1.

i7-h7

h1-i1

Cho threatens to dominate the i file, so Han moves the Chariot back.

g10-i7

i1-h1

Cho attacks along the i file again. Han's Chariot returns to the h file.

i8-e8

h1-i1

Cho centralizes the Cannon and Han once again moves the Chariot

to the i file.

i10-g10

b3-e3

Cho decides to shift focus to the g file.

g7-f7

Cho is concentrating several forces on the g4 point.

h3-f3

Han apparently underestimates the power of Cho's combination.

Refer to the diagram. Can you see what Cho is planning?

Cho

Han

i7xg4

h4xg4

With this sacrifice, Cho's pieces come alive on the g file.

g8-h6

e4-f4

What else? Han's g pawn is pinned to the Horse on g3.

h6xg4

f4xg4

g10xg4

Now, Cho has sacrificed two minor pieces for 3 pawns in return for

a strong initiative. Of course, Cho will regain material with the

double attack on g3 and c4.

i1-i3

Han has to defend the Horse on g3, thus ceding another P.

g4xc4

i3-i8

Han needs to initiate some counterplay by attacking the C on e8.

Han's Cannons happen to be well placed for a counterattack.

c10-d8

Cho defends its Cannon with the other Cannon.

i8-f8+

Han's Chariot is protected by the Cannon on f3.

Game Excerpt 5 (continued)

Cho

Han

e9-d9

f8xf10

Of course, Cho would have been mated after 14. e9-e10 f8xf10#.

(see the animated gif image)

a10xa4

a1xa4

Cho captures Han's last pawn and Chariots are exchanged.

c4xa4

The absence of pawns will make Han's defensive task difficult at best.

From a numerical standpoint, Han has a small material advantage. However, this is an excellent example of positional considerations outweighing numerical scores. Without a single pawn, Han will have a very difficult time mustering an attack.

Game Excerpt 6

This is a new starting position. The Cho side adopts the familiar corner Horse position, while the Han side adopts a symmetrical Horse/Elephant position.

Ostensibly, Han’s opening position seems to strengthen the a, e and i points. However, in order for the Horses to advance beyond the third rank, the pawns must move. I don’t have a database of games to consult, so I can’t say which position is the more popular in tournament play.

Here are the moves of the game with annotations:

Cho

Han

Comments

i7-h7

h1-g3

Basically, even though the opening position is slightly different, the

opening moves follow the same fundamental strategy.

h10-g8

h3-e3

Both sides develop their Horses so that the Cannons may move

towards the center or along the rank. Han places the Cannon on

the centrally fortifying e file.

h8-e8

b1-c3

Cho's Cannon moves to e8 and Han develops the other Horse.

c10-d8

e4-d4

Cho's other Horse moves to d8. Han makes room for further

development of the Horses with a possible deployment to e4.

It should be noted that the Elephants may also move to e4.

Here are the final moves of this game excerpt:

Cho

Han

Comments

a7-b7

g3-e3

Now, Cho has opened files for both Chariots.

Han deploys the right-flank Horse to e4.

This is an excellent active post for the Horse.

g7-f7

i1-i3

Cho adds a defender to the e7 point while simultaneously

clearing a path for the Horse on g8 to advance.

Han advances the Chariot to i3 as a defensive measure.

That is to say, Cho's Horse may advance to the sixth rank attacking

the pawn on g4.

d10-d9

f1-f2

Both sides move Guards to strengthen the Castle position.

You may notice that the Guards exert maximum mobility in the

central Castle point. (e2 and e9)

a10-a6

Cho mobilizes the Chariot for an opportune attack on a weak

point within Han territory. It may be safe to say that Cho has

the initiative in this position.

Game Excerpt 7

In the previous excerpt, we explored the asymmetrical corner Horse position vs. the symmetrical Horse position. (귀마 대 원앙마) This time the player with the symmetrical position will move first.

Here are the moves:

Comments

i7-h7

h1-g3

Cho opens the file for the Chariot.

Han develops the Horse on the same flank.

h10-g8

h3-e3

Just as in the previous game, Cho develops the Horse preparing

to move the Cannon to the center. Han follows suit.

h8-e8

b1-c3

Cho's Cannon moves to e8 and Han develops the other Horse.

b10-c8

b1-d4

Cho's other Horse moves to c8. In a departure from the previous

game, Han develops the Elephant to d4. Even though the Elephant

doesn't appear to be doing much on d4, it does serve to liberate

the Chariot for some lateral movement.

b8-d8

a4-b4

Cho moves the Chariot to d8. It serves to provide support for the

Castle position and may lead to an attack along the d file.

Han moves the pawn to b4 allowing the Chariot to advance.

f10-f9

g4-f4

Cho advances the Guard to f9. It's important to note that this allows

the Cannon on d8 to move to f10. Han makes a clearance move