In what country do you think the original “Game of Chinese (Chinos)” is: China, Spain, United States or India?.
I had heard of this game; but, the day before yesterday, watching a contest on television, ..... suddenly, I began to doubt ....... and I was not sure about where was invented this game. At the end, I found that the home country is Spain.
Indeed, a shepherd from León (Northwestern Madrid), the eighteenth century, invented this popular entertainment, which meets in Madrid today tens of players, in the National Championship, promoted by his grandson.
Not as old as chess, checkers and Parcheesi, with more than five centuries of play on their boards, nor as "modern" as Monopoly or Scrabble, emerged in the twentieth century. The popular "Chinese game" was born in 1787, in a small town of Leon, Bercianos del Camino Real, and, of course, the Chinese (people) had nothing to do.
It was Felipe Valdeón Triguero, a shepherd of the village, who, at age 41, invented the game to pass the hours during shepherding. He picked up, some small stones --the chinas-- and invited other shepherds to do the same and hide in his hand which seemed to guess after you well with the closed hand, many numbered among all without repeating the number. So, it is told by Jose Antonio Hidalgo, Valdeón´s grandson, who has promoting the “game of Chinese”, over twenty years.
Felipe Valdeón
The last Friday, more than 70 players have gathered, at the bar “Anjo”, in Madrid, in the National Championship of “Chinese”, who has been organizing, since 1987. Two hundred years after the first game, the heir to the inventor started the first championship. "As a tribute to him, in order that this game does not die, each year I bring closer the flame to keep fire".
Jose Antonio Hidalgo (Valdeon´s grandson, the heir)
When asked, Jose Antonio, how was he so sure about his ancestor was the creator, he replied: "So I was explained by my maternal grandmother, Asteria Valdeón, playing when I was a child and all tally". This is what explains Jose Antonio (one early retirement, 63 years old).
The game was easily extended with the rural transhumance passing through Madrid road to the pastures of Extremadura and Andalusia. In addition, in Bercianos (León, North western Madrid), there was a hospital for pilgrim from road to Santiago.
Its extreme simplicity, it takes just three stones, coins or even sticks or other small items, the game became the suitable to be “transported”. Although the secret of its success lies more in the cunning necessary to win. So it was seen by the quick-witted , who sought, in the guile, the way to take a wine or get something at the expense of some nerd in this art.
After years of decline, it re-emerged with the proliferation of American bars, in the 60s. People played very much, while drinking alcohol. The game then experienced another of its moments of glory, to oblivion from which it was rescued by Hidalgo, in the late 80s.
This sir, native from Leon, who got started as dedicated to calves, with the name "Little dark skinned from Leon”, remembers the "boom", with a mixture of pride and nostalgia. These were the years in which he played the Chinese with Pepe Domingo Castaño and Goyo González in a contest at the SER chain; María Teresa Campos interviewed him and he came to denounce Jesus Hermida, by "appropriate" the game on television. That led him to dislike patenting holds today.
In his “Chinese championships”, over the years, have standed out Angel Sanchez (with four first prizes), Joseph Estrada and Jose San Juan. Celebrities like Alfonso Ussía, the comedy duo, now deceased, Tip and Coll or the actor in the Television Serie "Aquí no hay quien viva", Eduardo Gomez, are also fans of the game “The Chinese” (Los Chinos).
Madrid, León, Salamanca or Bilbao are some cities, in which you can still hear, in bars, phrases like “gancho al trapero” ("hook to the rag and bone man") (7), "barreiros" (8), “la mano en niño” ("the hand on child") (the 5) or the “gusanillo” ("little worm") (6), in the slang of the game. Because almost all numbers have a corresponding nickname. And, although they tell that there is who have played the Chinese to his wife, Hidalgo only admits: "It helps you" when a friend of you, who pretends to be crazy, pays a round.
"It is a distraction, it is fun and everyone can play. There is no distinction between men and women and children love it”, says the "guardian" of the game. Although, he adds: "It is not as simple as it seems". A good player of Chinese requires, in his view, six qualities: psychology, observation, memory, concentration, cunning, luck and intuition.
Among them, Hidalgo stands out the need to observe the opposite hands: "If you take (chinese), you usually press the hand and close it to try to cover them, it is an unconscious thing", he affirms, showing a fist with the fingers close to the wrist and the knuckles tense. And if you pay attention, you detects trends of the other players: "If at first he take out 'one', then 'three' and then 'none', probably, in the next move, he will take 'two' ".
A Hidalgo´ s hand
I do not know who has won, the last Friday; but I know that the prize was 200 Euros and a commemorative trophy. Although there have had more awards and medals to the tenth.
Although the Chinese game seems simple, there are many tricks with which one can be deceived. Jose Antonio Hidalgo gives some clues to 'novice':
- Doubt who always tells you to open your hand first. That makes it easy to take it or not and somehow dropping the coin or stone. "It is very easy to hide a coin between your fingers and pull it out or not, as appropriate" and it shows. Watch out if it strokes its hair, it can drop the coin to the shirt collar. The correct thing is open hands at the same time and leave conspicuous.
- Be attentive, if you play against two being friends. Look carefully to the hands, because it can indicate, to the other, with the fingers, which they carry hidden.
- Verify that the opposite is really playing with coins. You have to check them, before you start, because more than one has played without Chinese, after getting simulate the gesture of hand in pocket.
- Define how well you play. Some mixed coins and sticks, for example, and then, they says that the stick is worth or not, depending on the move.
Well, here it is over the explanation of the "Game of the Chinese." I hope you enjoyed it.
See you soon, kind regards,
Luis.
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