A makeshift board

Check this out:


Do you recognise it?

If you don't, this might help:


If you still don't recognise it, then you will never figure it out :P

It's a Chinese chess board. During my first year in INSA, I had to go for English classes. We needed to do a short talk on a topic of our choice...and I somehow thought of this. But I didn't have the chessboard with me...so I took a friend's cereal box and cut it up to make the board (that friend eats a lot of cereal...it was a jumbo-sized box!)

You might notice that there are tiny letters written in pencil on each of the chess pieces. They are the letters used for move notations...I didn't even know about them before doing my research for the talk. (I only know how to play...and not very well. My English chess is a little better...and I knew the notations for those too! I mean even before doing this talk :P ) So I needed to have them written down so that I wouldn't forget.

I kept this board for five years, thinking that it would serve again if I had to do another talk. (and also, if a friend suddenly expressed a desire to learn Chinese chess) But I never used it again, and I decided that it had to go when I was packing to come back for good. It hurt to throw it away. :(

Anyway, for those who like the black side better, here's your team! (though it's the blue side, now :P )