Ancient China had 4 traditional arts: music, painting, calligraphy, and strategy games. Like Western chess, Chinese chess descends from the game of Chaturanga, from India. From India it spread throughout Asia and also to Medieval Europe. In China, the game reached its current form during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). The Chinese chess board is made up of 10 horizontal lines (ranks) and 9 vertical lines (files). The pieces are placed on the lines rather than in the squares as in Western chess. The lines are broken by the blank space that runs horizontally through the middle of the board. The blank space is the river. At each end there is a square with intersecting diagonals. These are the palaces, one for red, and one for black. The other markings are for aids in placement of the pieces at the beginning of the game. In addition to the fun and challenge of the game, our glass Chinese chess set is sure to make a beautiful display piece on your end table or coffee table.