Bob Greenwade wrote on Thu, Sep 28, 2023 02:42 PM UTC:
73. Yaf. In the Berber languages of northern Africa, including the still-extant Tuareg, the alphabet used is called the Tifinagh. One of the letters is yaf (ⴼ), and the piece bearing that name (and appearance) also has a move that mimics it.
The Yaf first moves one space sideways; then may move one or two spaces forward or backward; and from that endpoint, may continue in its original sideways direction, sliding like a Rook. ([sW?sW?fW?sR])
How useful this piece is could easily be the subject of some debate. I could see it as a decent piece to have on either end of a row in a large-board game for use as mid- to late-game defense, or possibly to help corner an opposing King for checkmate.
It's not the only letter of the Tifinagh that could represent a good chess move, though. Yaa (ⵄ), yagn (ⵐ), and yagh (ⵖ) could be interesting too, to name just the ones that don't look like Roman or Greek letters and/or already-existing chess moves.
73. Yaf. In the Berber languages of northern Africa, including the still-extant Tuareg, the alphabet used is called the Tifinagh. One of the letters is yaf (ⴼ), and the piece bearing that name (and appearance) also has a move that mimics it.
The Yaf first moves one space sideways; then may move one or two spaces forward or backward; and from that endpoint, may continue in its original sideways direction, sliding like a Rook. ([sW?sW?fW?sR])
How useful this piece is could easily be the subject of some debate. I could see it as a decent piece to have on either end of a row in a large-board game for use as mid- to late-game defense, or possibly to help corner an opposing King for checkmate.
It's not the only letter of the Tifinagh that could represent a good chess move, though. Yaa (ⵄ), yagn (ⵐ), and yagh (ⵖ) could be interesting too, to name just the ones that don't look like Roman or Greek letters and/or already-existing chess moves.