COMPOSED ENDGAME / ENDGAME COMPOSITIONS 排局
Basic Intro
Xiangqi composed games or endgame compositions 排局(pái jú ) are Xiangqi puzzles that were deliberately created to demonstrate a brilliant checkmate or an equally brilliant forced draw. Its International Chess Counterpart would be a STUDY or a PROBLEM. The term Endgame Composition was only recommeded by the AXF several decades ago.
The positions seen in endgame compositions are unlikely to be seen as a continuation from mid-games in the course of regular play. Most have their origins from end games. Instead, man-made positions increased the possibilities of Xiangqi.
There are thousands of composed endgames or endgame compositions. Their International Chess counterparts would be problems or studies. A lot of these endgame compositions can be found in the various ancient manuals.
This section will only deal with the more famous, must-know endgame compositions, and the more contemporary ones. The reader is advised to go to the various ancient manuals to view the various puzzles.
Video of Short Introduction to Endgame Compositions
Below is a video that I did a few years ago to introduce the various types of endgame compositions.
The Big Four Endgame Compositions.
- 七星聚会 The Gathering of the 7 stars.
- 千里独行 Travelling a Thousand Miles Alone
- 蚯蚓降龙 Earthworm Defeating Dragon
- 野马操田 Wild Horse Roaming Fields (3 versions)
The Eight Civil Endgame Compositions (民间排局)
Still under construction.
Endgame Compositions/Problems with different themes
Below is a collection of various endgame compositions made that they resembled certain letters of the alphabet, chinese character... They are very hard to collect.
- Endgame compositions in the form of chinese characters:
- Endgame compositions in the form of the English alphabet:
- Endgame compositions in the form of the Arabic numbers:
- Super Duper Long Endgame Puzzles 超长排局
- Seven Piece Endgame Compositions 七子排局
still under construction
Click here... Endgames with no Kings! 1C2H catch king in 5 moves Introductory Video to Xiangqi Endgame Compositions
Questionable 'Ancient Manuals':
Gems in the Satchet, Extremely Brilliant Xiangqi Manual
At the beginning of the twenty first century, there was a series of 'ancient manuals' that were published by a publisher from Inner Mongolia. Amongst them were the following two books. The authenicity of these two ancient manuals remains debatable as they were not listed in the the Encyclopedia of Chinese Xiangqi Manuals (《中国象棋谱大全》). Neither has there been mention by the Xiangqi experts or community. Nevertheless, the puzzles given in these two books are quite okay and the Webmaster has decided to upload them in their entirety (as they were supposed to be ancient manuals). The puzzles listed have been used in the 'poc' puzzles over the years. Click on the links below to go to ther respective introductory pages.
Gems in the Satchet 锦囊妙手:
Extremely Btilliant Xiangqi Manual 极巧穷极:
First created: May 2011
Acknowledgments:
Mr Felix Tan for providing the 1C2H catch king in 5 moves games.
Lily for requesting the big 4!
References:
1. In Chinese, 《象棋入门》 by 李浭 and 马正福
2. In Chinese, 《象棋辞典》 by 屠景明 杨柏伟
3. In Chinese, 《当代经典排局》 by 樊文兆
4. Many ancient manuals, especially the Bamboo Fragrance Manual.
Still undergoing re-construction