Tong Yingtai Invents Three-Dimensional Chess

Hola darlings! Well, that title is rather misleading. What the article really means to say is that Tong has created a "figural" chess set, carved out of jade. Xiang qi (Chinese chess) is typically played with flat round discs that are marked on top with the pieces' identities. Obviously, Mr. Tong did not invent "three-dimensional" chess (ala the game played on the 1960's series "Star Trek"), nor did he invent figural pieces, which were created as part of chess when it first started being played some 2300 or more years ago. Here's the story from Chinaview.cn: Three-dimensional Chinese chess born in Qiqihar 2007-08-23 10:17:15 BEIJING, Aug. 23 -- The first three-dimensional Chinese chess came out recently in Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The three-dimensional jade Chinese chess was made by a jade workshop in Qiqihar, based on the original design of Tong Yingtai, inventor of the unique set. The set has been awarded an intellectual patent right. Working with a local tourist bureau in Heilongjiang province, Tong Yingtai has devoted 14 years in studying and designing the three-dimensional Chinese chess, hoping to bring the unique Chinese culture to the world. Following his invention, Dong spent more than 4 months traveling by bicycle across some 87 Chinese cities from the north to the south in 2001, publicizing his three-dimensional chess along his trip. This time, with the approaching of Beijing 2008 Olympics, Dong once again plans to embark on his bike tour on Sept. 1 this year, aross some 38 more cities from China's west to east, hoping to extend his welcome to the "Green Olympics" in Beijing. ****************************************************************************** Mr. Tong may not be the first creator of a figural Xiang qi set. According to Dr. David Li in his work on chess history, "The Genealogy of Chess" (Premiere Publishing, Bethesda, MD, 1998), it was Emperor Tai-zong (r. 626-649CE) who introduced "three-dimensional playing pieces" made out of metal to Xiang qi, an experiment that did not survive after his death.