GEORGE TOWN: It started with a tree, a few men, and a battle of wits – but for former engineer Jack Lee, playing Chinese chess was never just a game.
“It sharpens our thinking and even helps us think about different ways to solve problems in life,” said Lee, who now chairs the informal “Under the Big Tree Chess Club”.
Lee joined the group about 20 years ago after seeing players in a match.
“My 75-year-old father used to play at the Rifle Range flats and Lebuh Presgrave. Now he follows me instead,” he said.
The club moved their games to the Jalan Tengah Sim Food Court six years ago, where they gather almost daily for friendly rivalry and long chats over drinks.
Chinese chess, or xiangqi, is a traditional two-player strategy game played with round pieces placed on the intersections of lines on a board.
Unlike international chess, which is played on squares with pieces such as kings, queens, bishops and rooks, xiangqi features generals, guards, elephants, horses, chariots, cannons and soldiers.
Both forms of chess aim to trap the opposing leader.
But the rules of how xiangqi pieces move are markedly different from international chess, creating a complex game that has engrossed players for over 1,500 years.
Lee, 47, said the club members would usually gather between 2pm and 5pm.
A few of them would even keep playing through the night until 10am the next day.
“We have over 40 members. On busy days, around 20 of us are here, some playing, others watching,” he said, adding that some of them were school students.
At the food court, the players would sometimes occupy up to eight tables – one game of two players per table – and thankfully, food court owner Ooi Chee Keong does not mind and even welcomes them.
“I provide the tables because I want them to have a place to play. Even if someone orders only a glass of water and stays the whole day, that’s fine with me,” he said.
In fact, Ooi went so far as to buy 20 Chinese chess sets for the club, keeping them in a food court cabinet to make things easier for the players.
“I am happy to see senior citizens gathering here. I regard them as elders and friends,” said Ooi, 42.
In fact, the gathering has grown so popular that the food court now hosts an annual tournament, pulling in competitive players from across the country.
Retiree Kang Thean Yew, 72, has been part of the club for about 20 years.
He visits the food court two or three times a week, spending about three hours each time.
“Chinese chess keeps the mind active, helps me pass the time and allows me to spend time with friends,” he said.
