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Haunted Chess. Missing description (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Tony Quintanilla wrote on Wed, Mar 8, 2006 06:20 PM UTC:
You may wish to clarify the rules by explaining the game mechanics exactly in addition to using the allegorical references. For example, it is not clear how the spirit pieces are re-introduced into the game, by drops? I am not sure I understand rule 2.

stéphane burkhart wrote on Wed, Mar 8, 2006 09:10 PM UTC:
I will try to clarify the rules. Here is how I used to play the Game, facing a usual board, with some markers by my side to identify spirits:

When a piece is captured, it becomes virtually a spirit, and shares the square with the capturing piece. It really becomes effective for attack when the latter leaves the square, forced or not, and when some normal friendly piece may reach this square to 'activate' (or as I called it 'invoke') it.

You may indeed put the virtual (still not activated) spirit aside and drop it later when the square is freed, but I prefer to leave it with some marker on the same square as the attacking piece.

It happens that you may capture a piece already sharing a square with a virtual spirit. In that case, the hierarchical rule applies.

Finally, spirits may capture definitly normal ('living') pieces, as normal Chess, but may not be captured themselves. They may not cross pieces, nor be crossed by pieces.

I hope I made it plain now for players willing to test the Game. Don't hesitate to complain in the negative...


Anonymous wrote on Thu, Mar 9, 2006 09:32 AM UTC:
I played the java version and thought I understood it but now reading the rules with your additional comments, I'm confused about it. Understanding what constitutes 'control' by a haunted piece is something I'm having a bit of a time grappling with.

stéphane burkhart wrote on Thu, Mar 9, 2006 08:21 PM UTC:
Tony,
the java game has just in common with my game the reappearance of a
spirit
or ghost once the capturing piece leaves the square.
Then, my spirits can move freely, but may capture living enemies only if
they are 'invoked', which means, in usual Chess, that their square is
defended by friend living pieces.
May be a small example ? (prefix 'S' for Spirit, W for white, B for
black)
1 WP e2e4 - BP e7e5
2 WN g1f3 - BN b8c6
3 WB f1b5 - BP d7d6
4 WBb5xBNc6  -> SBN c6 - BPb7xWBc6 -> hierarchical rule: SWB wins against
SBN
so remain on square c6 BP and SWB
5 WP c2c3 - BPc6c5 -> no check !
6 WQ d1a4 check by WB ! - etc...

burkhart wrote on Sun, Jun 11, 2006 07:25 PM UTC:
I encountered recently by chance in Nicolas Giffard and Alain Biénabe's 'Guide des échecs' a fairy chess game called 'patrol chess' (1975 Meyenfeldt), where pieces have power to check or capture only if they are covered by friend pieces. They can nevertheless cover themselves other pieces. So my game could be seen as a mixture between 'patrol chess' and 'ghost chess'.

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