棋海迷踪: Discovering the Art of Chinese Chess

Written by: Jairus Ong Qi Le (2A1, 2026)

This year, I joined the 棋海迷踪：中国象棋（晋级）拓展课程 (Chinese Chess) sabbatical. In this sabbatical, we first learnt the movements of each chess piece before progressing to more challenging concepts such as opening moves and mid-game tactics. In the final few days, we were also introduced to checkmate strategies, using different pieces to trap the other player’s “king” piece. In addition, we learnt new gameplay methods, such as “uncovering chess”, where pieces are uncovered and their identities are revealed only after they are moved.

Before this sabbatical, I had played International Chess, but I had never been exposed to Chinese Chess. I found some similarities between them, such as the movements of knights and rooks. However, the addition of the palace, where the king and advisors are restricted, the river, which only some pieces can cross, and the cannon, which can jump over pieces to capture another piece, made the game far more unpredictable and interesting to play. I also learnt new thinking strategies, such as distracting the opponent and predicting the opponent’s next move. All these helped to develop my critical thinking skills. Although I am still a beginner, I believe that if I continue practising my Chinese Chess skills, my thinking abilities will be strengthened and my gameplay will improve.

One of the most entertaining moments in this sabbatical programme was when the mentor explained matches between Chinese Chess world champions and analysed their moves in detail. From this, we discovered ways to trick our opponents and how to look out for traps. This part of the lesson never failed to bring us both laughter and learning.

I would highly recommend this sabbatical to those who wish to challenge their brains and put their thinking to the test. The sabbatical mentor is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, with much experience in this field. I hope that through playing Chinese Chess, I can not only learn strategic thinking, but also help preserve this unique part of Chinese culture.