I think what you are refering to is Chinese Chess or XiangQi. The idea is to capture the other sides general in "Jiang" or Check Mate. Surprisingly, there are several pcs that move similar to Western Chess, but there are surprising peices which jump to kill - a potent attack for "jiang". Here is a link which describes the rules of the game and how it is played.

not exactly sure which one u r talking about..but do u mean 军棋（military chess）？ link: http://www.sgjq.net/uploadpic/20047112553237421.jpg