Understanding the Elephant: A Xiangqi Primer Part 3A: Endgame Introduction and Endgame Tabia 1

by Jim Hau Cheng Png

Understanding the Elephant Parts 3 and 4 would deal with Xiangqi endgames. “Attention has also been paid to the End-game. The resulting decisions are for the most part so obvious as to stand in need of no demonstration. There would seem to be nothing corresponding to the fine End-game play which is possible in European chess.” --- HJR Murray from A History of Chess, p132, in the section discussing Xiangqi endgames.The author begs to differ. Xiangqi endgames are the fundamentals and yet one of the hardest topics to master. There are hundreds of books on Xiangqi endgames in Chinese that deal with various topics. It would be impossible to encompass all there is to know in these two books. Instead, the author hopes to introduce to the non-Chinese speaking world the depth and beauty of the Xiangqi endgame. As the subject is too voluminous, the author has organized adapted the way Xiangqi endgames are taught in China. In Part 3, the reader would be given introduced to basic endgame theory in the first two chapters. Single piece endgame situations are then discussed before the reader is introduced to basic two-piece endgames involving the chariot. Various strategies like triangulation et cetera are discussed in detail.In Part 4, various two-piece endgame situations excluding the chariot are broken down into simple parts and explained. Endgames involving three or more pieces are beyond the scope of this book. There are over 400 boards in both books to discuss the various basic endgame situations. Many diagrams have been added to assist the reader in visualizing, understanding and appreciating the various endgame situations. There are over 1300 diagrams in Part 3A and over 1000 diagrams in Part 3B.The author hopes that the reader would be able to master the fundamentals and have a better grasp of the Xiangqi endgame after reading the two books.

436 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2018