email articles from July 1999

From J. L. Casaux

Cambodian Chess

Let me share with you (if you don't know already) some interesting information I found while trying to find the genuine name of Cambodian chess. I found this very interesting site: Cambodian Chess Games. Vuthy Tan describes 2 games: Ouk Chatrang and Rek. Rek is an interesting (with a variant also) game with only pawns and Kings. Ouk Chatrang is apparently the traditional Cambodian game. I was surprised to see that it is almost Makruk (Thai chess).

Then, it is different from the intriguing Cambodian Chess given by Pritchard. I've already wrote to Vuthy to see if he has an explanation. Another site, underlining the link with Makruk is entitled "Chess in Cambodia".

Finally I found also a site on Ethiopian chess, and a very interesting pages about all the controversial story of chess origins which appears to me to be less and less clear by now.

Edward Strickland

Korean Chess Variant

Here is a link to something that looks like a variant of Korean chess: http://dcslab.snu.ac.kr/~nirsys/field.htm

The link on the page generates a table of piece movements, but I found no written description of rules.

Bruce Grant

Rithmomachia

In case you are not aware of it, there is a detailed article on rithmomachia in the April 1911 issue of of the American Mathematical Monthly (vol. XVIII no. 4, p.72)

Cheers,
Bruce Grant

Previous Letterboxes