Chinese chess is fantastic. It's strategically rich, but much harder to screw yourself in the opening than with regular chess. It's also different enough to be delightful to learn for people who already enjoy chess. Two examples that really charmed me:
1. There is a jumping piece which attacks by leaping OVER pieces and landing on whichever piece is on the far side. It's possible to defend against this piece by moving other pieces into and out of the path between it and it's target, effectively redirecting the attack.
2. Kings cannot face each other on the board, or leave a very small 3x3 section of their territory. This complicates endgame, but makes your king more powerful in locking off the options of your opponent.
1. There is a jumping piece which attacks by leaping OVER pieces and landing on whichever piece is on the far side. It's possible to defend against this piece by moving other pieces into and out of the path between it and it's target, effectively redirecting the attack.
2. Kings cannot face each other on the board, or leave a very small 3x3 section of their territory. This complicates endgame, but makes your king more powerful in locking off the options of your opponent.