This page is written by the game's inventor, Mark Hedden.
EUROPAN CHESS
INTRODUCTION
I looked at
Ganymede Chess,
and I thought "This is good". But it
wasn't good enough. Oh, sure, it was a terribly fun game, and there was
nothing at all wrong with it, and quite a few right with it, but it
seemed that there was still a lot more room to be explored in the realm
of large CVs, and that it was my Solemn Duty, <g>, as a chess variant
enthusiast, to do so. The first thing that came was the idea. A similar,
and the same promotion abilities, but quite a different feel. For this
game, I wanted a more open game, reminiscent of games like
Grande Acedrex
(another wonderful CV), and quickly set out to do so. Thus, the
name. Europa is a very flat world, with no major obstructions. Even so,
it is constantly in upheaval from the vast tidal forces that exist under
its surface. That is what I wanted this game to feel like. Open, with no
real potential for blockades or the like, but still extremely quick and
exciting. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I have!
Note that the Diagram only allows the Archer to shoot with the leap it moves
(but in any direction);
the text is not really clear about how its move restricts how it can shoot.
PIECES
The rook, bishop, king and queen are all the same as their Orthochess
equivalents. However, there are no knights, and the pawns move slightly
differently.
Griffin: The Griffin is a rather common piece, used in quite a few other
chess variants. However, I like it a lot, and have included it in one of
my other variants, Ganymede Chess. One unfortunate thing about it, I've
seen it spelled more different ways than any other piece(!) The most
common spelling I've seen is Griffon, but I have seen such weird
spellings as Gryphon. However, the CORRECT spelling is Griffin. Not that
it matters, but it is nice to know stuff like this. Now, as for its
move, it moves first one square diagonally, and then any number of
spaces like a rook, but only away from it's starting position. Here's a
diagram to better explain its move:
It can continue moving in any of the eight directions pictured in the
diagram. It is a rather powerful piece, made even more so by the
spaciousness of the board. If you know how to use it, is worth about 7
pawns, or almost a Queen. However, even if you don't know how to use it
well, it is still worth about 5 or 6 pawns. This move is written as
t[FR] in funny notation. Here's a tip on how to use it correctly:
FORKS=D
