4 Linepiece Hex Chess

Technically the page should have been 4-simple-linepiece hex Chess, as I included compound pieces, one of the Straight pair and one of the Curved pair, but complicating the title with the word simple seemed inappropriate! I launched this page with two basic variants, one with the oblique Sennights and one with compounds of the four viewed differently as an orthogonal pair and a nonstandard-diagonal (ND) pair. I have now added a Trios version with just the simple pieces, as 3 each of 4 linepieces plus Sennight, plus 1 Royal piece, fills the area behind the Glinski front rank neatly. A simple-only Trios also suited two new foursomes: the WAITRESS group combining the Rook and Unicorn with the corresponding divergent pieces, and the SHAMMES group combining the Finch and Rabbi with the corresponding divergent pieces. This is because it avoids the question of how an array compound piece is formed.

This page is heavily influenced by my square-board variant 4 Linepiece Fusion, so I consider the option of Fusion subvariants - which bring in further, non-array compounds. The names of compounds of Straight and Curved pieces are explained in my piece article Man and Beast 13: Straight and Crooked Moving. Since originally posting this page I have added one combining Straight and Curved linepieces with Straight Hopping-capture pieces, Sinojewish Chess.

Setup

4-compound Mishling:

Trios Mishling Chess:

Waitress hex Chess substitutes Waitresses and Contrawaitresses for Rabbis and Finches. Shammes hex Chess substitutes Shammeses and Contrashammeses for Unicorns and Rooks.

Pieces

	The GRANDDUKE moves one step along any orthogonal or ND and must be kept out of Check. It is the G/McC analogue to the FIDE and Shogi King, under whose page its hex move may be found.
	The DUCHESS moves any distance through empty intermediate cells along any orthogonal or ND. It is the G/McC analogue to the FIDE Queen, on whose page its hex move can be found, although in the Wellisch and AltOrth interpretations it would be a Marshrider (Rook+Nightrider) and Acerider (Queen+Nightrider) analogue respectively.
	The ROOK moves any distance through empty intermediate cells along any orthogonal. It is the same piece as on rectilinear boards.
	The UNICORN moves any distance through empty intermediate cells along any ND. It is the G/McC analogue to the FIDE Bishop, under whose page its hex move may be found, although in the W/A interpretation it would be a Nightrider analogue.

The following pieces' names are extrapolated from "Roserider", a name that I suggest for the square-cell piece combining the Nightrider and its own Curved version the Rose. Such pieces are documented in my piece article Man and Beast 13: Straight and Crooked Moving. These pieces do not appear in the Sennight variant.

	The FINCHRIDER moves like the Rook but as well as the straight move can also turn either 60° left at each intermediate cell or 60° right at each intermediate cell. It never mixes any two of left turns, right turns, and no turn in the same move.
	The RABBIRIDER moves like the Unicorn (inheriting its binding to a third of the hex board) but as well as the straight move can also turn either 60° left at each intermediate cell or 60° right at each intermediate cell. It never mixes any two of left turns, right turns, and no turn in the same move.

The following pieces' names I fully explain in Anglojewish Chess.

	The COHEN or KOHEN moves like a Duchess but rather than the straight move it instead turns either 60° left at each intermediate cell or 60° right at each intermediate cell. It never mixes left and right turns in the same move.
	The FINCH moves like the Rook but rather than the straight move it instead turns either 60° left at each intermediate cell or 60° right at each intermediate cell. It never mixes left and right turns in the same move.
	The RABBI moves like the Unicorn (inheriting its binding to a third of the hex board) but rather than the straight move it instead turns either 60° left at each intermediate cell or 60° right at each intermediate cell. It never mixes left and right turns in the same move.
	The SENNIGHT makes any root-7 leap. It is the G/McC analogue to the FIDE Knight, under whose page its move may be found, although in the W/A interepretaion it would be a Ferz analogue. It appears both in straight-linepiece hex variants (though not Wellisch) and in Anglojewish Chess.
	The BROKER moves one step along the straight-forward orthogonal, except when capturing which it does along either forward ND. It is the McCooey analogue to the FIDE Pawn, on whose page its hex move can be found.

The following pieces' names are extrapolated from "Marshranger", a name that I suggest for the compound of Rook and Rose. These pieces appear only in Fusion subvariants, and there not in the array. Originally I considered using them only for Curved extensions of oblique short components (Cardiranger, Canvaranger, Zebshranger et cetera), but saw that they could be extrapolated to Chateranger and Heretranger (see notes) on a cubic board, and on this board...

	The VICERRANGER is the compound of Rook and Rabbi - in other words, a Vicereine (Rook+Viceroy) with its short component extended along a curved path.
	The BESIERANGER is the compound of Unicorn and Finch - in other words, a Besieger (Unicorn+Wazir) with its short component extended along a curved path.

The following pieces' names are derived from the Stewardess and Contrastewardess of square-board 4 Linepiece Fusion. Shammes means a lay worker at a synagogue, and is used metaphorically for a menial worker more widely.
The WAITRESS moves as a Rook except when capturing, which it does as a Unicorn.
The CONTRAWAITRESS moves as a Unicorn except when capturing, which it does as a Rook.
The SHAMMES moves as a Finch except when capturing, which it does as a Rabbi.
The CONTRASHAMMES moves as a Rabbi except when capturing, which it does as a Finch.

The following pieces' names are derived from the Ajaxrider and Xajarider pieces of square-board 4 Linepiece Fusion. Teucer was a half-brother of Ajax, and Recuet is his name spelled backwards. These pieces appear only in Fusion subvariants, and there not in the array.
The RECUERIDER ROOK is the compound of Rook and Waitress - in other words, a Duchess that cannot make noncapturing Unicorn moves.
The TEUCERIDER ROOK is the compound of Rook and Contrawaitress - in other words, a Duchess that cannot make capturing Unicorn moves.
The TEUCERIDER UNICORN is the compound of Unicorn and Waitress - in other words, a Duchess that cannot make capturing Rook moves.
The RECUERIDER UNICORN is the compound of Unicorn and Contrawaitress - in other words, a Duchess that cannot make noncapturing Rook moves.
The CERUET FINCH is the compound of Finch and Shammes - in other words, a Cohen that cannot make noncapturing Rabbi moves.
The UETCER FINCH is the compound of Finch and Contrashammes - in other words, a Cohen that cannot make capturing Rabbi moves.
The UETCER RABBI is the compound of Rabbi and Shammes - in other words, a Cohen that cannot make capturing Finch moves.
The CERUET RABBI is the compound of Rabbi and Contrashammes - in other words, a Cohen that cannot make noncapturing Finch moves.

Rules

A Broker ending a move on the far edge must be promoted to some stronger capturable array piece. In the case of four-compound variants it must become a compound piece, and in the Fusion subvariant of that this can then subdivide. In non-Trios games a player can never have more than 3, and in Trios games 4, pieces of the same type, except Fusion subvariants which allow up to twice those numbers of every component, regardless of whether alone or as part of a compound.

In Fusion subvariants, Fusion involves one simple piece making its usual move to a square occupied by another of the same army. In subsequent moves the combined piece can move as either component. The opposite of Fusion is Fission, in which one component alone makes its usual move to an empty cell and the other component stays where it is. Divergent variants have two subvariants depending on whether a Duchess or Cohen must always divide into the components that originally fused into it or, for example, a Duchess formed from a Rook and Unicorn can become a Waitress and Contrawaitress and vice versa.

Check, Checkmate, and Stalemate are as usual.

Notes

As with 4LF, other variants can be played substituting Crooked or Bent pieces for Curved ones as follows. Unless otherwise stated the second piece is bound to a third of the board.
1: For the Finch substitute a LONGGIRLHEXER, for the Rabbi a LONGRANGEHEXER - Crooked pieces making the same turns but always alternating between left and right within a move. In the G/McC interpretation these are Girlscout/Boyscout analogues. Lgh+Lrh=LONGDOUBLEHEXER, Rook+Lgh=LONGGIRLRACER, Unicorn+Lrh=LONGRANGERACER (Doublescout/Girlrook/Boyrook analogues).
2: Ditto but instead of Long- prefix with SHORT-, indicating alternating 120° turns, making for slower progress. The Shortgirlhexer would be a Girlscout/Boyscout analogue in the Wellisch interpretation.
3: Ditto but unprefixed, allowing both 60° and 120° turns, but never both in the same move!
Regarding 1-3 the hex geometry lacks the standard diagonal and thus Curved or Crooked linepieces in that direction. The cubic geometry however has such pieces, the APOSTLE of Paired-everything Tunnelchess and the BOYHEXER with its 60° Long and 120° Short components. It is from the Bishop+Boyhexer compound, BOYRACER, that hex -racer pieces take their name. Apostle compounds are Rook+Apostle=CHATERANGER, Bishop+Apostle=APOSTRIDER, Unicorn+Apostle=HERETRANGER, and Duchess+Apostle=DOWAGRANGER. These are available only on a cubic board, but a hex-prism one adds Bishop+Finch=PRIMARANGER, Bishop+Rabbi=MODERRANGER, Dicorn+Finch=CHAMBRANGER, Dicorn+Rabbi=MAYORRANGER, and many compounds of three or more components to the plain hex ones. The Moderranger is a promotee in Armies of Faith 3: Assimilation.
4: For the Finch substitute a SIMURGH, making a Viceroy move followed by a Rook move, for the Rabbi a FARRIER, making a Wazir move followed by a Unicorn move. Both turn 30° in between. Both are unbound. In the G/McC interpretation these are Gryphon/Anchorite analogues. Simurgh+Farrier=HIPPOGRYPH, Rook+Simurgh=HARPY, Unicorn+Farrier=GUNSMITH, Rook+Farrier=FARRIERESS, Unicorn+Simurgh=COSMOPOLITAN (Gorgon/Reaper/Harvester/Ancress/Metropolitan analogues).
5: For the Finch substitute a JACKAL, making two Viceroy moves connected by an optional Rook move, for the Rabbi a COYOTE, making two Wazir moves connected by an optional Unicorn move, in all cases making two 30° turns (cancelling out or adding to 60° if together). In the G/McC interpretation these would be Wolf/Fox analogues. Jackal+Coyote=WEREJACKAL, Rook+Jackal=SHEJACKAL, Unicorn+Coyote=COYOTETRAP, Rook+Coyote=SHECOYOTE, Unicorn+Jackal=JACKALTRAP (Werewolf/Shewolf/Foxhound/Vixen/Wolfhound analogues).
Regarding 4 and 5 The names are derived from the cubic pieces of the same definitions, where the Simurgh and Farrier exist alongside the square-board Gryphon and Anchorite and 3d-only Celebrant and Nag while the Jackal coexists with the square-board Wolf and Fox and various 3d-only pieces.
6: Although they are not strictly linepieces, a further option for the Sennight variant is Hopping-capture pieces. For the Finch substitute a CANNON, which being pure orthogonal is its own analogue, and for the Rabbi its Unicornwise counterpart a SLING, the Arrow's G/McC analogue. Cannon+Sling=CANNONADE, the Tank's G/McC analogue. The game as a whole could be a G/McC analogue to my square-board variant Wildeurasian Qi if I could devise a satisfactory River! Note that the Brokers starting En Prise to Cannons are each guarded by the Sennight the other side of the centre file.