This game traces its Chinese roots back many centuries. Its name is translated as Watermelon Chess, which doesn’t really have anything to do with the game itself. It’s a game of entrapment, and variations are known throughout Asia. The game begins with the two players’ pieces set up on opposite sides of the circle, and the pieces move along the lines to adjacent points. Surrounding an opponent’s piece so it cannot move is a capture, and the piece is taken off the board. The interesting thing is that the pieces trapping it do not all have to be your own – either color can be part of the trap. Later in the game, it can become a bit of a chase around the board, so planning ahead for a few closing moves is a good idea. But once there are just a few pieces on the board, the losing player usually declares the loss with pieces still in play.
