Chess piece Chess piece A chess piece, or chessman, is any of the six different movable objects used on a chessboard to play the game of chess. Each player begins with a total of sixteen pieces. The pieces that belong to each player are distinguished by color. The lighter colored pieces are referred to as "white," and the player that owns them, "White". The darker colored pieces are referred to as "black", and the player that owns them, "Black". The word "piece" has three meanings, depending on the context. The context should make the intended meaning clear . In the first context,
The Game of Chinese Chess the engraving with a shorter central inscription is also in the Metropolitan Museum. The Game of Chinese Chess The Game of Chinese Chess or The Game of Chinese Checkers (French - "Le jeu d'échets chinois") is a drawing by the French artist François Boucher, showing an orientalised image of two people playing Xiangqi - actual Xiangqi pieces are all round, whereas the shapes of the pieces in the drawing are more varied. It is best known through the 39.4 by 27.7 cm engraving made after it by the Englishman John Ingram (1721 - c.1771; fl. 1763). It was part of