<TITLE>Asian Xiangqi Federation Rules<TITLE>
<H1>Asian Xiangqi Federation Rules<H1>
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Following are INCOMPLETE English Translation DRAFTS of both Asian and China 
Rules. Please comment. Send your suggestions to Bill Chang <wchang@cshl.org>.
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Asian Xiangqi Federation Rules.
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(D R A F T  O N L Y)
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Xiang Qi Bi Xia Gua Li
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Yia Zou Xiang Qi Lien Her Huei
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Tsai Pan Zu Z Din
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Excerpt of Forewords by Mr. Lee ZE Hai
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Asian Xiang Qi Federation was formed in 1979 and defining a set
of Xiang Qi rules was one of its main charters.  Two priciples
guiding the rules were: 
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1. To consolidate controversial rules into one and leave no ambiguity.
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2. To ensure the rule is fair and reasonable when consolidating 
   several variations.
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The first draft of this Xiang Qi rules was published in 1982, together
with a set of guidelines for organizing Xiang Qi tournaments.  After
7 years of field use and some modifications, the second version of
this Xiang Qi rules was published in 1989.  Since the game of
Xiang Qi is continuously improving , this set of rules is open for
further refinement.
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Chapter 1: Playing Xiang Qi
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Section 1: Board and Pieces
   To be translated later
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Section 2: How to Each Piece Moves
   To be translated later
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Section 3: Rules for Matches
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1. Usually Red moves first.  If only one game will be played, toss a coin
   to decide who plays Red.  If playing more than one game, toss a coin to
   decide the first game then take turns playing Red.
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   Description on deciding who plays Red in various forms of 
   tournaments skipped. 
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2. Obligation to move the touched piece
   Skipped.
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3. No undo
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Chapter 2: Rules for Tournaments
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Section 1: Types of Tournaments and Method of Matches
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Section 2: Time Allocation
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Section 3: Keeping Records
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Section 4: Limitation on Moves
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Starting from the first move, if there is no capture in 120 moves,
the game will be ruled a draw.  Either of the players can make such
a request and a referree has to count the moves and anounce a draw.
Only the first 10 checks are counted in the moves.  When a referree
is counting the moves, the clocks will be stopped.
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Section 5: Scoring for Tournaments
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Section 6: Forfeiting a Game
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Section 7: Fouls
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Chapter 3: Supervising Organization for Tournaments
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Chapter 4: Xiang Qi Rules
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Section 1: The Terms
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Check - Directly attack the opponent's king
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Threatening to checkmate - A move that, if not defended properly,
will lead to a checkmate in the next attack
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Chase - Attack any piece other than a king.  The next move can
capture the attacked piece.
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Exchange - Capture an opponent's piece and allow own piece
to be captured.  Or, allow own piece to be captured and then
can capture opponent's piece.
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Block - Prevent one of the opponent's piece to move to a certain
direction
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Sacrifice.  Move a piece to a position that can be captured
by the opponent.
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Idle - Any move that is not a Check, TTC, Chase, Exchange, 
Block, or Sacrifice.
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Perpetual check - Continuously check the opponent.
This definition can also be used for perpetual block, perpetual
exchange, and perpetual sacrifice.
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Perpetual threatening to checkmate - Every continuous move is
a threatening to checkmate
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Perpetual chase - One side continuously chases and the other
side keeps escaping or directly resolving the chase 
with another piece.
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Resolve "threatening to checkmate" - A move directly resolves
the other side's threatening to checkmate
This definition can also be used in "resolve check" and "resolve
chase".
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Check back - Resolve a check and check the other side simutaneously.
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This definition can also be used in "threatening to checkmate back and
chase back", "resolve threatening to checkmate and chase back", or
"resolve check and check back".
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- Translator's note : 
The translator thinks "threatening to checkmate back and chase back"
is a punctuation error and should be "threatening to checkmate
back" and "chase back".  There translator believes the rule is trying
to describe two different moves instead of one because if a move 
is a "threatening to checkmate" and a "chase" simultaneously, it 
will be called "threatening to checkmeat".  
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Protected - A piece is protected if any piece that captures the
protected piece can be captured.
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Real protector - When a protected piece is captured, the protector can
actually capture the capturer.
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False protector - when a protected piece is captured, the protector
cannot capture the capturer.
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One check and one threatening to checkmate - check immediatedly 
followed by a threatening to checkmate.
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This definition also applies to "one check and one chase", "one check 
and one idle", "one threatening to checkmate adn one chase", "one
threatening to checkmate and one idle", "several check and one
threatening to checkmate", and "several check and one idle".
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Two checks and one check back - one side keeps checking and
the other side, while in resolving the checks, has one check
back in two moves.
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Two chases and one chase back - one side keeps chasing and
the other side, while in resolving the chases, has one chase
back in two moves.
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Two chases and two chases back - one side has two consecutive
chases and the other side, while in resolving the chases, has 
two chases back in the two responding moves.
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-Transltors note:
The rule book should clarify how to define a move when it
can be interpret differently.  For example, a move may be
a "threatening to checkmate" or a "chase".  The difference
is significant because perpetual threatening to checkmate
is a draw and perpetual chase is a loss.