Weiqi
1 min readThe Origin of Weiqi
Legends aside，weiqi which originated before the Spring and Autumn Period（770BC-476BC）has a history of more than 4，000 years.The original chessboard consisted of only 17 horizontal and vertical lines forming 289 points.During the Jin Dynasty（256AD-420AD），it developed into 19 lines forming 361 points，which became the standard until today.
Weiqi reached its peak during the reign of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.Numerous national champions and masters emerged and left behind many good chess manuals.
Weiqi in the World
Weiqi was taken to Japan before the year 1000，where it was cultivated at court and in certain Buddhist sects.In the 1950s，a professional weiqi system was established in Korea，when weiqi master Cho Nam-chul returned from professional training in Japan.Today weiqi is more popular in Korea than anywhere else in the world.It is estimated that from five to ten percent of the population regulary plays it.
How to Play Weiqi
Victory in weiqi depends on the size of the encircled area and the number of pieces taken.The winner is the one who has the largest enclosure and takes the most number of pieces.
At the beginning of the game，there is a large area on the chessboard，so it is easy to encircle and occupy the important positions.As the area is reduced，the player has to carefully assess which pieces will decide the outcome.
