Among ancient traditional Chinese chess games, shuanglu chess was also widespread and popular for centuries in addition to weiqi (a game of go) and Chinese chess.
In 1974, a set of lacquer shuanglu chess was excavated from Tomb No. 7 of the Liao Dynasty aristocracy’s tombs in Yemaotai Town, Faku County, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. It is the earliest and relatively well-preserved lacquer shuanglu chess excavated in Liaoning to date.
This set of lacquer shuanglu chess is made of wood, consisting of a chessboard, chess pieces, and dice.A half-moon shaped burrow is carved on each long side of the chessboard. On both sides of the burrow are six circular grooves to hold the chess pieces. Since six is pronounced as “lu” in classical Chinese, the game was called shuanglu (double six).
There were 30 chess pieces in total in this set of shuanglu chess, 15 in black and 15 in white. Each chess piece was wrapped with yellow silk gauze when excavated.Two bone dice were placed in a container for throwing the dice, a black lacquer box. One of the dice was decayed at the time of excavation.
Opinions on the origin of shuanglu chess vary: some hold that it originated in ancient Rome; some think that it stemmed from ancient India; others believe that it evolved from liubo, six-throwing-chopstick board game set, of ancient China.
In the Wei, Jin, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, shuanglu chess games spread widely both at court and throughout the country, and it was regarded as a form of entertainment of the Hu people (ancient ethnic group). In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, shuanglu chess flourished.
In the Liao and Jin Dynasties, shuanglu chess was a popular chess game and a form of entertainment both at court and among common people. Historical records of Khitan kings and queens playing shuanglu chess with officials at court or foreign envoys abound.
With the rise and flourishing of other kinds of chess and gambling games, shuanglu chess declined gradually in the Qing Dynasty and was banned by Emperor Qianlong later. As a result, shuanglu chess that had once been popular across China for centuries sank gradually into oblivion.
Afterwards, the ancient shuanglu chess travelled eastward and flourished in Japan. Due to its complex rules, no one can play shuanglu chess in China nowadays. The concrete methods of playing it have been long lost.