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The layout of my Flyover Xiang Qi can be extended to 4-player versions of other nine-file-by-ten-rank variants, but Chaturaji suggests a very different kind of variant, with one aside of most pieces arranged on a square board. It is an idea that I myself applied to Shogi , but I declined to try it to variants where the two-player game itself uses a boards with differing numbers of ranks and files. If anyone has applied the Chaturaji principle to such games I would be equally interested to know.
Are the generals in the Korean chaturaji confined to the four points of one castle square only, and what is the significance of two different pawn types -- direction? The three different castles on each side of the Korean grand chess are curious, too. These would be nice games to have recorded authoritatively on these pages!
The combination of this thread and Undenary Chess makes me realise the possibility of the Chaturaji and Nearlydouble principles cancelling out to produce the following 4-player array retaining the FIDE pattern of each army's relative starting positions:
Dear Mr Frolov, Does your comment refer to Mr Gilman's variant diagram or to the opening position of the two Korean chess variants originally mentioned lower in these comments? I wonder if the large historical Korean chess variant is discussed in Dr Banaschak's book? Would any reader know? I have not been able to get a copy of this book, rergrettably.
That's true now that I look at it more closely to check that I had not missed anything. At first I thought that (expressed in terms of just two of the players) 1PN3 NxP 2RPxN RxR would cover it, making the danger to left Rooks ultimately dangerous for right Rooks, but I had overlooked 2 BPxN, which does indeed leave the left Rook unable to escape. How about the following?
Both Castlings would take place the same side of the King, depending whether the inner Rook was still there.
Both Castlings would take place the same side of the King, depending whether the inner Rook was still there.
So as not to lose sight of the question what are the rules of the Korean chaturaji variant in the Youtube video linked at the start of this comments list, I reviewed the video and still am stymied evaluating differences of pawn types and move, king "telepotency" to check an opposing king, and range of the king within the reshaped fortress. A playable variant is a treat; a playable, four-player variant even more so. Would any Korean readers be aware of this game, its diffusion, its pedigree? I notice that the person who posted the video also has a few other multiplayer Korean chess variants, all equally enigmatic for what the video presents and does not, and all missing some evaluation of the question whether they are good, playable chess variants.
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I received an email requesting that I ask here if anyone knows about this four player Korean chess shown on Youtube: link
"I have tried to infer rules for Korean chaturaji -- that is how it is titled on the webpage -- because I have found no other site that describes it. Strangely the video seems to suggest a program for playing this game.
There is mention on Wikipedia of a historical Korean grand chess, Gwangsanghui, but without rules, too: link. Your readers, I would hope, might be able to provide some details for this game?"