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Choson chess

In Jack London’s novel “The Jacket (Star Rover)” so-called Cho-sen chess is described. Before to begin speaking about this game I must give some clarifications. The country of Korea has two basic names in Korean language: 1) Choson (Chosun, Chosen) and 2) Hanguk. In time of J. London the first name was being written “Cho-Sen”. North Korea calls itself “Choson”, South Korea – Hanguk. I selected variant “Choson”, because: 1) it is an official name of one of two Korean states; 2) this variant is more like to Russian spelling – “Чосон”; 3) I found English text of the novel only after I had begun to create this site. Of course I have no objections if somebody wishes to write “Chosen chess” or even “Cho-Sen chess”.

So “Choson chess” means “Korean chess”. Therefore you can expect that it must be widely used in Korea national chess “chang gi” (“jang gi”). However you can see from description in the novel (chapter 16) that it is other game, which is more like Japanese chess “shogi”. Here below is the description:

It was different from Western chess, and yet could not but be fundamentally the same, tracing back to a common origin, probably India. In place of our sixty-four squares there are eighty-one squares. We have eight pawns on a side, they have nine; and though limited similarly, the principle of moving is different.

Also, in the Cho-Sen game, there are twenty pirces and pawns against our sixteen, and they are arrayed in three rows instead of two. Thus, the nine pawns are in the front row; in the middle row are two pieces resembling our castles; and in the back row, midway, stands the king, flanked in order on either side by “gold money”, “silver money”, “knight”, and “spear”. It will be observed that in the Cho-Sen game there is no queen. A further radical variation is that a captured piece or pawn is not removed from the board. It becomes the property of the captor and is thereafter played by him.

…the game … proved quite similar to Japanese game. They are far more alike than is either of them like the Western game.

In following text I will use modern terms “rook” and “lance” instead of “castle” and “spear”. The short description above is of course insufficient for real understanding of the game. For the time being no independent information about Choson chess was found. Nevertheless nobody can categorically contend that J. London’s novel “The Jacket” is only source of knowledge about Choson chess. If anyone of visitors of my site has any information about this unusual game please le me know. Koreans apparently know nothing about Choson chess, therefore it is strong doubt of its existence. Not waiting when problem of Choson chess existence will be clarified, let’s think what game it could be. We shall proceed from the assumptions, which are as logical and simple as possible.

What was shape of the game’s board? Of course it must be square, because: 1) J. London speaks nothing about other shape; 2) number of board’s fields (small squares) is eighty-one, but 81=9X9, it can be if board has square shape and its side consists of nine fields; 3) numbers of pawns (first row) and pieces in third row are nine each. So the board is a square with dimensions 9X9. Now let’s pass to pieces in middle row. J. London speaks about them very indefinitely: they resemble rooks. It is very probable that they are cannons – pieces, existing in Chinese and Korean chess games (xiang qi and chang gi accordingly), they are situated in middle row and their long straight vertical and horizontal moves resemble rooks’ moves. Cannons in xiang qi and chang gi are different, so we select Korean variant: Choson cannons are the same as in chang gi (we will not complicate our problem and invent, without any serious reasons, something new). <> Korean chess cannons move along vertical and horizontal lines on any distances, but: between start and end points of cannon’s moving must be an intermediate piece (yours or your partner – all the same), but not cannon; cannon cannot beat cannon (in Chinese chess cannons have some differences). As it is told in the novel, first row is occupied by pawns, and third row is occupied by pieces that are like to shogi (Japanese chess) ones. But which fields do cannons occupy? In shogi at second row stay bishop and rook, which originated from cannons. Because there is close likeness between Choson and Japanese chessgames, we assume that cannons stay on the bishop’s and rook’s places, i.e. ahead of knights. Arrangement of one player’s pieces is shown on the fig.1 below. Pieces of other player are arranged symmetrically to horizontal middle line of the board.

Fig. 1. Assumed start arrangement of Choson chess pieces.

We already described cannon’s moves, but how do other pieces move? Pieces in the third (back) row have names totally or partly coincided with names of shogi pieces and stay on the same places as according shogi pieces. Therefore we can expect that they have the same moves as shogi pieces. The differences in names (in full variant) are following: Choson chess – gold and silver moneys, shogi – gold and silver generals.

Now let’s try to select the most probable and logical moves for Choson chess. Begin from the king. We assume that kings in Choson chess and in shogi move equally, i.e. in the European way. Some opponents can object: king in the game of chang gi, i.e. Korean game, moves in other way. But king’s moves in chang gi are limited by so called palace, however J. London says nothing about the palace in Choson chess (I believe J. London couldn’t simply to miss such unusual thing), palace doesn’t exist in shogi either, therefore we may assume that there are no differences in moves of Choson and shogi kings. Other pieces in third row, excluding knights, have no analogues in chang gi, but have analogues in shogi. Therefore we decide that their moves are the same as their analogues in shogi have. Moves of gold and silver are shown on fig. 2 and 3. Lances move always forward at any distances. Moves of knight are shown on fig. 4. It was decided that knight in Choson chess should move as in chang gi, because both games are Korean.

Now let’s determine pawn’s move. J. London says that Choson pawns moves not as European ones. So we have 2 main variants: 1) pawns move as in chang gi; 2) pawns move as in shogi. We select the first one, not only by reason of Korean origin of Choson chess. In shogi pawn moves only forward for one square, in chang gi – in one square forward, or to the right, or to the left. Therefore in selected variant all pawns in start position “keep” each other, and enemy cannon cannot beat with impunity your oppose pawn.

Fig. 2. Assumed moves of gold

Fig. 3. Assumed moves of silver

Fig. 4. Assumed moves of knight.

Knight’s move consists of 2 steps: first one - along a horizontal or vertical, second one - along a diagonal. If on common point of both steps (point of move line turn) any piece stays, so knight cannot move in given direction.

Now we must consider change of pieces power when they enter in determined zone of the board. In shogi such changes are called promotions, in chang gi (and xiang qi) – strengthening. In shogi promoted piece remains its promoted status wherever it moves on the board. In chang gi there is the opposite rule – if strengthened piece leaves he zone of strengthening it loses is strengthening. We select the last, Korean variant. But what should be zone of strengthening in Choson chess? In chang gi the strengthening zone is palace, but, as it was said above, there is no palace in Choson chess. So let it be the same as promotion zone in shogi – three last horizontals. What Choson chess pieces should be granted the right for strengthening? In chang gi rooks, cannons and pawns have this right, in shogi – all pieces except king and golds. In order not to make Choson chess too complex game we limit strengthening pieces to pawns and lances: in strengthened condition let they become gold. In such condition a piece must not have any visual changes (for example substitution or turning over) because the position of a piece shows that it is strengthened. A strengthened piece can go out from the strengthening zone (by back move of gold, to fourth horizontal from the opposite edge of board), but out of this zone a piece loses its strengthening. And now let’s go to captures (takings).

J. London wrote clearly: …a captured piece or pawn is not removed from the board. It becomes the property of the captor and is thereafter played by him. As I know, at present only in shogi a beaten (captured) piece (or pawn) becomes the property of the captor, but it is removed from the board. So we must invent a new rule of appropriation of beaten pieces (and pawns). As for me, I see here 2 main variants: 1) the beating piece jumps over the beaten one (for example as in checkers); 2) the beating piece stands on the beaten piece’s place, and the latter transfers to any other free square of the board. The second variant seems more admissible for me, but of course it needs some clarification: to what square a beaten piece transfers? In order not to complicate the game, let’s accept that beating and beaten pieces simply exchange their places. Such opinion can be supported by following fact. In popular Korean game “A Travel through the Country” counters of the players move according to the dice. If one counter comes up with another and must stay on the same field, the counters exchange their places. So we included into Choson chess a rule from Korean game.

When a piece changes its owner (i.e. when a piece is captured) it must change its color. The color’s change can be done very easily: each piece is flat, and one its side is red and other is blue (red and blue are colors of chang gi pieces).

It is reasonable to accept that Choson chess pieces have the same shape as chang gi pieces have, i.e. symmetrical octagon or circle. Here below are several simple recommendations how to play Choson chess.

It isn’t recommended making first move with a cannon pawn, because it loses support of its neighbor pawns and can be easily taken by opposite enemy cannon. It is useful to make first moves with king, gold or silver, because such moves create opportunity for cannons to move horizontally. If cannons go off their initial positions, they don’t blockade knights any more. It is advisable to build fortresses from golds and silvers for defense the king (as in shogi), but to add there cannon(s) also, because it makes perfect defense against enemy cannons.

We have without answers two burning questions: Does Choson chess really exist? If yes, what it really is?

Maybe some visitors of this site will help to answer these questions? Searching in Internet showed, that there are games, called Korean shogi, but they differ very much from J. London’s description. Choson chess resembles Heian shogi – an early variant shogi, but the latter hasn’t cannons in the middle row (and any pieces at all – the middle row is empty), and beaten pieces in Heian shogi go off from the board and don’t take part in game more.

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