Hybrid Decimal Chess

Hybrid Decimal Chess was inspired by an earlier variant idea of mine (called Hybrid Chess, which is played on a 10x8 board), and uses a number of unusual compound pieces, of which one of their two components gives them the ability of a knight. Another type of compound piece I included is the Bede piece type.

There are presets available for play on Game Courier. With rules enforced Hybrid Decimal Chess, without Hybrid Decimal Chess.

Setup

Pieces

Hybrid Decimal Chess uses 4 piece types from orthodox chess (Kings, Pawns, Rooks and Queens) plus 5 unorthodox piece types:

A N-Tripper moves like a knight or a 3,3 diagonal leaper (leaps 3 squares diagonally), and is represented by a pegasus figurine in the setup.

A N-Dabbabah can leap 2 squares orthogonally (i.e. by rank or file) besides as a knight.

A N-Alfil can leap two squares diagonally besides as a knight.

A N-Threeleaper can leap orthogonally 3 squares besides as a knight.

A Bede moves like a bishop or dabbabah.

Rules

Hybrid Decimal Chess follows the rules of chess, except where noted below.

In Hybrid Decimal Chess, pawns move as in chess, and promote on the last rank to any piece in the setup except K.

Castling is by Flexible Castling (like in Gross Chess), where an unmoved K can move 2, 3 or possibly 4 steps towards an unmoved R, with said R ending up on the square adjacent to the K on the other side of it, on the second rank.

Stalemate, 50 move rule or 3-fold repetiton are draws, as in chess.

Notes

Testing using Dr. H.G. Muller's Checkmating Applet suggests to me that on a 10x10 board a ND plus K mates lone K in under 50 moves, a NA mates in under 65 moves (i.e. can take many moves in certain cases; however, I still kept the 50 move rule in all cases for this game for the sake of simplicity, and also to give the defender a break for a change), and a N-Threeleaper (or N-Tripper) assisted by the K cannot mate a lone K.

Last revised by Kevin Pacey.