Korean Chess

There is a version of chess native to Korea called Janggi (장기). Despite the fact that Korea claims this game, it is based around the battle between two Chinese dynasties, the Han and Cho. The pieces in the game include elephants (象), horses (馬), chariots (車), soldiers (兵), cannons (包), royal guards (士), and Han and Cho kings (漢 and 楚, respectively). In terms of moves and compared to the chess you and I are familiar with, elephants and horses are similar to knights, chariots are similar to bishops, and soldiers are similar to pawns. Cannons, royal guards, and kings are unique to janggi.

Cordia and I, having seen old men playing it on sidewalks, have always found it interesting, mostly drawn in by the attractiveness of the Chinese characters engraved on the pieces. On our most recent trip to Seoul, we visited a park full of retired men spending their afternoon socializing and practicing their janggi strategies, needless to say, a favorite park of ours. This time we were approached by a man well versed in English, and I expressed my interest in the game. He offered to teach me.


We rented a game board and pieces ($1 for a 24-hour rental) and grabbed a bench. For the next 90 minutes, I was a student, and he taught me the legal moves of each piece and basic strategies. Soon there was a crowd of curious Koreans around our bench watching the action. With his guidance, I was able to beat him 2 times. Then he decided to take a break and a new challenger sat down. Instant defeat. It turns out you need more than the knowledge of legal moves and basic strategies to beat these people.

I made a promise to practice and on my next trip to Seoul bring more competition to the table. Given that I leave for my final trip to Seoul in exactly 7 days, I had better start practicing.