Check out Modern Chess, our featured variant for January, 2025.


[ Help | Earliest Comments | Latest Comments ]
[ List All Subjects of Discussion | Create New Subject of Discussion ]
[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]

Comments/Ratings for a Single Item

Earlier ⇧Reverse Order⇩ Later
Nilakantha's Intellectual Game. 17th or 18th century Indian chess variation. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
David Paulowich wrote on Sun, May 29, 2005 02:28 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
Consider the endgame position White: King (c1), Knight=Horse (a6) Black: King (a1), Pawn (a3). White can force checkmate with 1.Nb4 a2 2. Nc2, but what if he choses 2.Na6 instead? Black is stalemated, but can he 'slay the piece of the enemy in his vicinity which imprisons him”? That piece is the White King. There are always exceptions to the old Shatranj rules.

For a recent attempt at a comprehensive set of rules, see my Shatranj Kamil (64) entry in the 10-Chess Variant Contest.


Garth Wallace wrote on Sun, Dec 6, 2009 07:04 AM UTC:
I would say that 2.Na6 would be moving into check and hence illegal. No idea if this interpretation was the rule actually in use historically, but it seems to follow logically from the rules as stated,

David Paulowich wrote on Sun, Dec 6, 2009 02:54 PM UTC:

Garth make a valid point, so I will have to try again. Consider the BLOCKADE STALEMATE IN 20 MOVES shown in the following diagram. NOTE: this position is from a (legal) game of Shatranj, which started with the Kings on the d-file and ended with a White Knight capturing a Black Elephant. A mirror image of this game can be played in the 'Intellectual Game'. Now the Black King is imprisoned by his own pieces.


     a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 8 | k |:n:| e |:::|   |:::|   |:::| 8
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 7 |:r:| f |:::| p |:::|   |:::|   | 7
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 6 | p |:::| p |:N:| p |:::|   |:::| 6
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 5 |:R:|   |:E:|   |:R:|   |:::|   | 5
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 4 |   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:P:| 4
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 3 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 3
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 2 |   |:P:| P |:P:| P |:P:| P |:::| 2
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
 1 |:::|   |:::| K |:F:| E |:N:|   | 1
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
     a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h

3 comments displayed

Earlier ⇧Reverse Order⇩ Later

Permalink to the exact comments currently displayed.