CAMBLAM
In the game of Camblam I have taken ideas from two previous games I have invented (Chivalry and Agis)
I have taken the name of the game from the legendary last battle of King Arthur who fought against his nephew Mordred.
Which legend has it was fought at Camblam.
Winning the Game
As in Chess the winner of the game is the first player to capture there opponents king.
Pieces
Each player starts playing with the following pieces:
| 12 pawns |  |
| 6 Knights |  |
| 6 Catapults | 
|
| 4 Archers | 
|
| 2 Rooks |  |
| 2 Bishops |  |
| 2 Princes | 
|
| 1 Queen |  |
| 1 King |  |
Opening Position
At the start of the game the pieces are set up as follows
As in Chess the
pawn can only move forwards, however in Camblam it can move up to three squares in one
move. (This is even after the first move)
(The pawn can
move to any of the squares)
Capturing; as in Chess the pawn captures diagonally.
(The pawn can capture
the black Catapult)
If the pawn reaches the opposite side of the board it may be promoted to any piece, except the King.
As in chess the Knight can jump over pieces, but it may only jump over pieces of the opposing colour not its own side.
I have taken the method of Knight movement from my previous game Chivalry and expanded upon it.
The Knight can move horizontally or vertically and then to one of the four diagonals. Also the Knight can move four spaces diagonally and then one square to one of the four spaces horizontal or vertical to it.
(The Knight can move to one of the spaces marked with an X
When capturing the Knight can capture an piece it lands upon.
Again I have take the catapult from Chivalry but expanded upon it, the Catapult can move up and down the board, but it can also move one square either left or right.
When capturing the catapult can capture more than one piece if the pieces are adjacent to each other, however if there is a gap between them it cannot cross over the unoccupied square.
In the diagram below the white catapult can capture all three of the black pieces which are adjacent to one another, however when the black pawn moves forward, the catapult can only capture the pawn and cannot cross over the unoccupied square.
Archers move as a queen in Chess, that is to any square in a straight line.
Capturing by the Archer is made by the same method as in my other game (Agis), any enemy piece that is within five squares of the archer, in a straight line, can be captured and thus removed from the board.
NOTE:
a) Only one piece can be captured in one move, this means that the captured opponents piece is removed from the board. However, the capturing player does not physically move a piece.
b) The capturing player must clearly indicate which archer is making the capture.
c) The Archer may not fire over the heads of any piece, the archer can only capture the nearest opposing piece, and must have a clear line of sight to that piece.
In the above diagram, the archer can move in any of the marked directions, it may capture the black bishop, or the black pawn. However it cannot capture the black rook or prince as there are piece shielding them.
The rook moves as it does in standard Chess, except that it may move one diagonal square instead.
The rook can also capture more than one piece in the same way as the catapult, that is if the pieces are in a adjacent line. However it cannot capture multiple pieces if there is a gap between them.
In the diagram above the rook can move to any of the spaces in its line of movement. It can capture all three pieces below it, but it can only capture the white knight and not the other pieces to its right.
The bishops move as in standard Chess, except they can move one square left or right, or up and down.
Bishops can capture in the same style as other pieces, and can can capture any number of adjacent pieces.
In the diagram above the bishop could move to any of the marked squares. It may capture both knights or the lone catapult.
The prince moves in a two stage method (in the same manner as my previous game Agis), it can move any number of empty squares up or down or left and right. Then it moves any number of empty squares diagonally.
Unlike the other pieces the prince can only capture one piece at a time.
In the above diagram are some examples of how the prince can move, however note that the prince is such a mobile piece it could reach any square on the board.
The queen moves as in standard Chess.
When capturing the queen can also capture more than one piece in the same manner as the catapult, rook and bishop.
In the diagram above the queen can move to any of the marked squares, it may capture the lone catapult, or the pawn, knight and rook.
The king moves and captures by the same rules as standard Chess.
Other Rules
- Normal rules for check apply.
- There is no castling.
- There is no en passent capturing.
©Michael Asher23/08/04
This variant is an entry in the 1999 Large Variant contest.
Written by Michael Asher.
WWW page created: April 29, 1999. Last modified: May 8, 1999.