Hobbies And Interests
Xiangqi: Chinese Chess
Chinese chess is played by millions throughout Asia. Most of the pieces bear the same names and movement capabilities as classic chessmen. Xiangqi is a turn based game wherein both players control an army of pieces in an attempt to capture the royal piece or force a stalemate on their opponent. The most obvious difference between Xiangqi and chess is the board. The Xiangqi board is composed of horizontal and vertical lines split at the center by the "river." Some units on both sides are not allowed to cross the river.
Alice Chess
Invented in 1953 by V. R. Parton, Alice chess uses two boards--one starting empty, the other using the traditional chess setup. Players may move a piece on either board, as long as it adheres to three rules. First, the move must be legal. Second, moves or capture can only be completed if the corresponding destination square on the alternate board is vacant. Finally, captured pieces are placed on the same square they formerly occupied on the other board.
Shogi: Japanese Chess
Captured pieces in Shogi are kept by their captors, who can use a turn to put that piece in play. Shogi is traditionally played on a 9-by-9 board that is not usually checkered and with tiles instead of figurines. Starting pieces become stronger if they are moved into a set area of the board. The piece promotion is indicated by flipping over the tile. The game is finished when a king is placed in checkmate.
Hostage Chess
Hostage chess is inspired by Shogi. It is played with a traditional board and only slightly modified rules. The players capture each others' chessmen as normal, but make hostage exchanges of similarly valued pieces. The player can use his next turn to drop the released hostage back into the match.