There are many tales about the ancient origins of Chinese chess, going back to the legendary emperors Yao and Shun or to the general Han Xin, but there is not much evidence to render them plausible.
象棋的創始傳說雖多，從皇帝、堯舜到韓信點兵，卻都難以徵信，直到唐代象戲出現，才有具體關連。