Check out Balbo's Chess, our featured variant for October, 2024.

This page is written by the game's inventor, Gary Gifford.

Doppleganger BordahBee & DB Extreme

I was playing the experimental Double Doppelganger with Adrian Alvarez de la Campa, who had created that 2-board game based on my single-board Doppelganger Chess. While playing the experimental game I noticed the following: 1. I missed pawn "doppelgangers" (there currently are none in Double Doppelganger). To capture a pawn and remove a doppelganger pawn is quite fun. It allows you to demolish pawn barriers and to remove pawns that are protecting pieces or other pawns. 2. I did not like having White on one board and Black on my other. 3. I was reminded of BordahBee and it occurred to me that a Doppelganger BoradahBee would address point 1 and point 2. 4. I felt that the special move restrictions of BordahBee (discussed in rules) should make for an interesting variation of Doppelganger. 5. I realized there would be two sets of Doppelgangers (board A and Board B). So, if I capture a Black Knight on Board A, both Black Knights on Board A are captured... but what about on Board B? Should those Black Knights be captured too? Answer: We will have 2 variants. In the first (normal) Doppelgangers are tied to their respective boards. And in Doppelganger Bordahbee Extreme, both boards will be impacted.

Setup

As in BordahBee - 2 normal Fide chess boards.  White on one side, black on the other.

Pieces

2 Fide Sets.

Rules

You can move on Board A or on Board B first on each turn.  It doesn't matter.

For either the normal or the DB Extreme game... When you move:
1) a K on 1 board; you must move Q, R, or K on the other
2) a R on 1 board; you must move K or Q on the other
3) a Q on 1 board; you must move K or R on the other
4) a B on 1 board; you must move N or P on the other
5) a N on 1 board; you must move B or P on the other
6) a P on 1 board; you must move N or B on the other
{SEE BORDAHBEE RULES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION}

D o p p e l g a n g e r   B o r d a h B e e  (normal)

Doppelgangers are associated with Board A or Board B as applicable.  Capture a piece [or pawn] on a board and only that piece [or pawn] and its "same board" Doppelganger are captured.  In this variant, the Queen has no Doppelganger and Pawns cannot promote to Queen.  

In this "normal" variant: when capturing a Pawn, remove any other enemy pawn of your choosing from the same board on which the capture was made(unless doing so would but you in check).
(SEE DOPPELGANGER RULES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION}

********************************************************************

D o p p e l g a n g e r   B o r d a h B e e   E x t r e m e  (DB Extreme)

In this variant doppelgangers are associated with Board A and Board B such that the capture of a piece [or pawn] and the doppelgangers of that piece [or pawn] on BOTH BOARDS are captured.  In this Variant the Queens each have a Doppelganger on the other board.  In this variant promotion of Pawn to Queen is possible.  Both Boards would get a Queen.

In the Extreme varian: When capturing a Pawn on a board, remove any other enemy pawn of your choosing from that same board(unless doing so would but you in check).  Then, on the other board remove any two enemy pawns you desire to remove.  THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE SAME PAWNS THAT WERE CAPTURED ON THE OTHER BOARD... for example, assume you capure Black's King Pawn on Board A, and you then remove his Queen Pawn as the Doppelganger on Board A.  On Board B you can now remove any two enemy pawns (providing you don't put yourself in check). (SEE DOPPELGANGER RULES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION}

Notes

The concepts are simple. Please refer to the following rules for additional information: BoardahBee, Doppelganger Chess NOTE: Since each player is moving on two boards, captures are extremely important in both variants, but even more so in the Extreme game. For example... In the Extreme variation, assume a player captures a Knight on Board A - now his opponent loses all 4 Knights (2 on "A" and 2 on "B"). But it is not over, assume the same player, now moving on Board B captures a Bishop on that board... Yikes, his opponent has just lost 4 Bishops! (plus 4 Knights!). Here is a link to the Doppelganger BordahBee pre-set: Doppelganger BordahBee Here is a link to the Doppelganger BordahBee Extreme pre-set: Doppelganger BordahBee Extreme

This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.


By Gary K. Gifford.
Web page created: 2006-07-21. Web page last updated: 2006-07-21