i never really connected Pai Sho with either Go or shogi... Unless, in the case of the former, it's refering to the style of play, but I don't think there has been enough Pai Sho "in action" to make that determination (i'm not counting what they show in "The Dessert, as i'm resonably certain that they weren't putting the peices down in accordance to any specific rules other than the pattern they were creating. Or, in the case of the latter, people are referring to the use of pictographs on the tiles. In which case I would have to say it strikes me as closer to Chinese chess.

I understand how some people might connect it to Chinese Checkers, but only in the aesthetic; I doubt the style of play is hugely similar, as the value of all pieces is (as far as I remember) equal (which has a significance that has only just occured to me, phrasing it that way) and is played quite similarly to Draughts (the real name for 'checkers' ).

If people are referring to the play style of Go then I can't really say i've seen enough Pai Sho in action to make that judgement, personally.

I have seen these websites trying to create a real life version of the game but they just don't seem to do it justice. For one thing, the White Lotus, as has been pointed out, is seldom played as it's best apparent use is the White Lotus Gambit which (as the tactic's name suggests) does not have favourable odds of 'paying off'. For another, iroh makes port to buy the White Lotus tile individually of a set which suggests 2 things to me, first; the tiles are sold individually, which hints the second; the pieces are collectible (not unlike a TCG).

Plus, I can't find a picture of the game in session, but aren't all Pai Sho tiles in a set unique? I mean, the most underrated pieces in most games are the most common ones, right? (Like in chess, which is why we tend to call people we view as insignificant as 'pawns' ). Yet it only ever seems to be referred to in the singular, implying that there is only one employed by each player.

[EDIT; i did find this on avatar wiki http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Imageieshou.jpg There are 2 White Lotus tiles, but it's unclear as to whether they each belong to one of the opposing players or the same player.

Avatar Wiki seems to regard the 'fan made' version of the game as if they're official rules]