In Singapore’s Chinatown old men have gathered to play Xiangqi, otherwise known as Chinese Chess. The game is fought between two players controlling ‘armies’ made up of sixteen circular wooden pieces. The ‘armies’ face one another across a central river over which certain pieces are not allowed to cross. Unlike the western game of Chess, the pieces do not sit within the squares but are placed at the corners, and move from corner to corner. The aim of the game is to trap and kill the Marshall (Red Army) or General (Green Army).

Of course, I learned all that from the internet. I have no idea how to play Chess with Kings, Queens, Knights, and Pawns, so I think the chances of me leading the Red Army to a glorious victory are very slim indeed.