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The XiangQi Master From The Cave - Free - Edition - PDF PDF
The XiangQi Master From The Cave - Free - Edition - PDF PDF
The XiangQi Master From The Cave - Free - Edition - PDF PDF
The
XiangQi Master
FREE Edition
By
Copyright © 2016
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Table of Contents
DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT
Preface
Foreword
The Beginning:
A secret ancient Xiangqi manual 200 years ago
A story regarding the origins of the "The Invincible XiangQi
Manual"
Chapter 1
The character of “自”- Since
Introduction
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Game #4
Game #5
Chapter 2
The Character of “出”- Out
Introduction
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Game #4
Game #5
Chapter 3
The Character of “洞”- Cave
Introduction
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Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Game #4
Game #5
Chapter 4
The Character of “来”- Come
Introduction
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Game #4
Game #5
Chapter 5
The Character of “无”- No
Introduction
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Game #4
Game #5
Chapter 6
The Character of “敌” - Enemy
Introduction
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
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Game #4
Game #5
Chapter 7
The Character of “手”- Hand
Introduction
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Game #4
Game #5
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Preface
Throughout the centuries, the game had flourished and went into
decline for many times. During the time when the game flourished,
it became one of the national pastimes of the ancient Chinese,
whose popularity surpassed Weiqi (or Go as it may be more
commonly known). A lot of literature ancient literature had been
written about this topic but unfortunately, only a tiny fraction of
these gems of wisdom had made it through the sands of time.
Fortunately, one of the ancient manuals that we still have today, still
in complete form, is The XiangQi Master From The Cave. Written
by Priest Chunyang, it was a short manual that was divided into
seven volumes. What was interesting was that each chapter was
named after a short Chinese verse, 自出洞來無敵手, which
literally meant, becoming invincible after training in the caves. I
have chosen the name, The XiangQi Master From The Cave as title.
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The ancient manual mainly discussed different variations of the
Same Direction Cannons and also some Central Cannon vs Single
Horse Defense variations.
http://wxf.ca/wxf/index.php/books
http://www.xqinenglish.com
I would also like to take the opportunity to have received help from
Jim Png, the webmaster of www.xqinenglish.com in the creation of
this book.
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This ancient manual has given me much and I hope to share with
you the intricacies of Xiangqi. Enjoy!
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Foreword
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Jim Png
Webmaster of xqinenglish.com
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The Beginning:
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Chariot vs Filed Chariot
The Chinese character “出” - Opposite Direction Cannons with Big
Variation
The Chinese character “洞” - Central Cannon vs Single Horse
Defense
The Chinese character “来” - Same Direction Cannons with
Centroid Cannons vs Filed Chariot with Palcorner Cannon
The Chinese character “无” - Screen Horses vs Central Cannon
The Chinese character “敌” - Same Direction Cannons with Filed
Chariot vs Ranked Chariot
The Chinese character “手” - Same Direction Cannons with Ranked
Chariot vs Filed Chariot
Combining all the seven Chinese characters would form the title of
the ancient manual - 自出洞来无敌手.
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in this context, 洞= “cave" in this context, 无敌 = "invincible"手
= "opponent" in this context.
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A story regarding the origins of the "The
Invincible XiangQi Manual"
烂柯真诀妙通神,
一局曾经几度春。
自出洞来无敌手,
得饶人处且饶人。
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One day, Gu heard there was a Taoist priest named Chi, who lived
in the Shangqing monastery in the Lao mountain, who was an
excellent Xiangqi player. Itching to prove himself, Gu decided to
visit Laoshan Mountain to search for Priest Chi.
Not long after, a Taoist priest who worked in the kitchen, walked
from the monastery and came upon the resting Gu. The priest asked
Gu where he was heading. Gu replied that he was going to
Shangqing monastery, hoping to play a game of Xiangqi against
Priest Chi. The priest offered to play against Gu instead. In the
spirit of the game, Gu accepted the challenge.
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The priest told Gu that a game as deep and profound as Xiangqi
could never be mastered in a short period of time.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
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Game #1
1. C8=5 C2=5
2. H8+7 H2+3
3. R9+1 R1=2
Diagram 1.1a
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4. R9=4 A6+5
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Diagram 1.1b
5. R4+7 …………
Red’s R4+7 would be not ideal. Red would have moved the
chariot too many times, at the expense of development of the
other friendly pieces. A better play for Red would be H2+3 for
a more balanced development of the pieces.
5. ………… H8+9
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Horses to consolidate the central file. If Red's chariot moved
R4=3, Black would immediately counter with C8+2, which was
one of the earliest opening traps that was listed. Black would
have the option of an fork to gain a Red chariot should Black
be greedy with R3-1.
Diagram 1.1c
6. P3+1 …………
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Red's P3+1 would not be a good move. Black would
immediately counter with C8=7. After C8-7, Red would be
discouraged from developing his horse as H2+3. Therefore
P3+1 would be a waste of efforts.
6. ………… R2+6
7. H2+3 R2=3
8. H3+4 P3+1
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Diagram 1.1d
9. H4+3 C8=6
10. H3+2 C6=8
Diagram 1.1e. After ten move plies, we can see that the
situation on the board heavily favored Red. Red had
managed to charge a horse deep into enemy territory to
attack, while causing Black's left flank to be congested.
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Diagram 1.1e
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Diagram 1.1f
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Diagram 1.1g
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Diagram 1.1h
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Diagram 1.1i
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Game #2
In this game, Red would demonstrate how to sacrifice two
chariots to set up a Throat Cutting Checkmate in conjunction
with the Heaven and Earth Cannons.
1. C8=5 C2=5
2. H8+7 H2+3
3. R9+1 R1=2
4. R9=4 A6+5
5. R4+7 H8+9
6. P3+1 R2+6
7. H2+3 R2=3
8. H3+4 P3+1
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Diagram 1.2a
9. P1+1 …………
9. ………… P3+1
10. P1+1 …………
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10. ………… P9+1
11. R1+5 …………
Diagram 1.2b
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C8=6.
Diagram 1.2c
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better off with C8=6.
Red sacrificed the chariot for the Black horse. Diagram 1.2d.
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Diagram 1.2d
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Diagram 1.2e
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Diagram 1.2f
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Game #3
1. C8=5 C2=5
2. H8+7 H2+3
3. R9+1 R1=2
4. R9=4 A6+5
5. R4+7 H8+9
6. P3+1 R2+6
7. H2+3 R2=3
8. H3+4 P3+1
9. H4+3 C8=6
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Diagram 1.3a
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Diagram 1.3b
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Diagram 1.3c
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Diagram 1.3d
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15. C7+3
Diagram 1.3e
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Game #4
1. C8=5 C2=5
2. H8+7 H2+3
3. R9+1 R1=2
4. R9=4 A6+5
5. R4+7 H8+9
6. P3+1 R2+6
7. H2+3 R2=3
8. H3+4 P3+1
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Diagram 1.4a
9. H4+3 C8=7
In this game, Black improvised and for his ninth ply, Black
chose to play C8=6, which was a bad move. In Game #4,
Black make corrections and played C8=7 which was still
insufficient as could be seen by Black's dismal outcome.
C8=7 would still be a good move in this situation but more
could have been done. Diagram 1.4b.
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important to learn from your mistakes.
Diagram 1.4b
Red would still use the same strategy as in Game #3, trading
the Black central cannon with the Red horse. However, the
situation was different as at Game #3. In Game #3, Black
cannon was at palcorner (Black’s sixth file), so the strategy
was valid. Unfortunately, in Game #4, Black cannon was at
file number seven. Red C2+5 would not be an ideal move.
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11. C2+5 C7+7
Diagram 1.4c
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This is to prevent Red's C7+2 checkmate. Diagram 1.4d
Diagram 1.4d
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Diagram 1.4e
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Diagram 1.4f
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Game #5
1. C8=5 C2=5
2. H8+7 H2+3
3. R9+1 R1=2
4. R9=4 A6+5
5. R4+7 H8+9
The first five moves are the same as in the previous examples.
Diagram 1.5a. Please refer to Game #1 for detailed
explanations.
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Diagram 1.5a
6. P3+1 R2+4
Diagram 1.5b. Blacks had learnt from his previous games that
R2+6 was weak. R2+4 was an attempt to improve, but it was
still far from perfect. C8=7 would be advised for Black,
because Black would have the option to play R2+4 anytime.
Once C8=7 was played, Black's next move would be R9=8,
which would gain initiative for Black and allowing faster
development of the pieces on this side of the board. Moreover,
C8=7 would also discourage Red from playing H2+3. If Red
insisted on H2+3 after Black C8=7, Black would push his
pawn forward with P7+1, thereby threatening Red horse
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directly.
Diagram 1.5b
7. H2+3 C8=6
8. H3+2 P7+1
9. P3+1 R2=7
10. E3+1 …………
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would allow for future gains.
Diagram 1.5c
Red A4+5 was a waiting move. Red was hoping that Black
would make a mistake.
And to Red's delight, Black did play R7+2, which was a huge
mistake. Diagram 1.5d. Black had planned to capture the Red
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horse and cannon at the same time, but forgot about the fact
that this would allow the Red horse to move forward and
become a threat.
Diagram 1.5d
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Diagram 1.5e
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Diagram 1.5f
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Diagram 1.5g
If Black countered with A5-6, Red would reply with C4=5 for
the Double Cannons Checkmate.
18. C5=7
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Diagram 1.5h
You also can visit my blog for more XiangQi information. I also
share my idea and thinking about XiangQi in my blog.
http://xiangqielephantgame.blogspot.my/
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Through the ages, there have been many classics that were written
about it, with the earliest publication on the form of Xiangqi that we
know today in the late Song dynasty. Many have been lost through the
ages, but a handful few have made are still present today. One of
theses ancient classics is The Xiangqi Master from the Cave which
was estimated to have existed at least over two hundred years ago.
There are several unique features to this ancient manual. The Chinese
name is made up seven Chinese characters, with each character
representing a particular opening system being discussed. There are
five games per character. The Chinese name of the book, if translated
directly would be Invincible after coming out of the Caves. There are
not many variations but there are many tactics, strategies and brilliant
kills that are demonstrated. Although the level of play may seem
simple by today's standards, it is nevertheless an ideal book for the
beginner, amateur or even club level Xiangqi player to learn, for the
ideas demonstrated form the basics of Xiangqi theory today.
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You also can visit my blog for more XiangQi information. I also share
my idea and thinking about XiangQi in my blog.
http://xiangqielephantgame.blogspot.my/
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If you would like to buy full version (eBook or Print Book)
You can buy the eBook from the following Amazon stores
nearest to your place of residence.
Just click on the flag of your country or nearest to the place
where you live.
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The Xiangqi Master From The Cave : Print book version
Worldwide
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1. C2=5 …………
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1. ………… C8=5
2. H2+3 H8+7
3. R1+1 …………
3. ………… R9=8
4. R1=6 R8+6
5. R6+7 …………
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balance him both flanks development.
5. ………… H2+1
6. R9+1 …………
!!
R9+1, this is where the well known opening trap was began.
Red R9+1 and leave left's horse unprotected.It gave false
incentive to encourage Black play C2+7.
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6. ………… C2+7
7. C8+5 …………
Excellent move. Black C2+7 gave way for Red C8+5 to attack
Black's left horse. As seen on board, Black's central pawn
was protected by single horse.Therefore, Black's center
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defense was weak.This gave Red's golden opportunity to
attack.
Red executed his plan C8+5 to attack Black's left horse in
order to further weaken Black's center defense.
7. ………… H7-8
8. C5+4 …………
8. ………… A6+5
9. R9=6 …………
9. ………… K5=6
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Red checkmate.
Excellent move!
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Red wins in thirteen moves.This is the reason we named the
game as Horse Sacrifice With Thirteen Moves Kill.
You also can read more Xiangqi Opening Traps from here.
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Xiangqi or Chinese Chess as it may be more commonly
known to the Western world, is an ancient game that the
Chinese have played for centuries. Yet, it is relatively
unknown to the English speaking world, probably because of
the language barrier.
It is very easy learn, especially to players with a background
in International Chess but mastering it is a totally different
issue.
Over a five year period, I have posted hundreds of puzzles on
my website, www.xqinenglish.com as an individual effort to
share the game I so love. There are at least 3000 puzzles that
I have uploaded. The puzzles are still on my website and can
be found under the daily boards sections, which can be found
on the menu bar. The site is over 2300 pages to date.
This book is a selection of the puzzles that I have posted on
my website and is targeted at beginners and amateurs who
are starting to get acquainted with Xiangqi but still have
trouble with the basics, or have limited visualization of the
board, the pieces and their intricate relationships.
The book is divided into four chapters with the first chapter
being a simple introduction on how to play the game and how
to read notation. The second chapter consists of forty-five
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puzzles that take 2-5 plies to solve. This chapter would be
suitable for the complete beginner. The third chapter is
targetted at amateurs and club players who already have
some experience with the game. This chapter would consist
of forty-five puzzles that are are solved with 6-9 moves.
Finally, the forth chapter would contain ten actual games
played that demonstrate how the experts do it in actual
competition.
There are detailed explanations so that even the complete
beginner can understand what is going on as sometimes it is
tough to explain so much on the website. Besides, the main
idea is to force the reader to think and construct an image of
the board in his mind, so that clearer visualization can be
obtained.
I absolutely love Xiangqi. This would also represent a book
that I wished I had when I first started learning the game over
thirty years ago. I hope the reader would learn to love the
game as much as I do by going through the puzzles.
Go, clear your mind, visualize the board. Go, start your
journey on becoming a Xiangqi Assassin!
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