TigerChess
Incorporating LancerChess
Contents
Copyright©
G. Nicholls 2003/4
Cast:
The Players:
The Emerald Lord, being the winner between:
The Siberian
Warlord and
The Bengal Warlord
Timed by
TigerClocks
The Settings:
The Great Forest
The Emerald Kingdom
The Forest Clearings
The Palaces
The
Watchtowers
The
Strongholds
The
Borderposts
The Dwellings
The Chessfield
The Participants:
The Lords of The Forest
The Siberian
TigerKnight
The Bengal TigerKnight
Royal Personnel
The Kings
The Queens
Nobility
The Barons
The Baronesses
Military Personnel
The Kings
Lancers (The Standard Bearers)
The Queens Lancers
The Archers
The Knights
The Swordsmen
The Pikemen
The Royal
Guards
Constructions
The Kings Towers
The Queens Towers
Regalia:
The Siberian
Standard
The Bengal Standard
The
Medieval Battle known as TigerChess
Which
is based upon Western Chess and is
A Gyroscope Game
Overview and Object
The Game of TigerChess is
played by two players who are known as The
Siberian Warlord and The Bengal Warlord. The Siberian Warlord plays The Siberian Army and the Bengal Warlord
plays The Bengal Army.
The Battle takes place in The
Emerald Kingdom which is the standard 64 square Chessboard (called
the Chessfield) with Palaces, Watchtowers,
Strongholds and Borderposts. There are also Dwellings and Forest Clearings, and all encircled by The Great Forest. The Siberian Army is situated at the
top of the board and the Bengal Army at the bottom with the bottom right-hand
corner being light coloured.
Both Warlords claim the
right to govern the Emerald Kingdom, and though peaceful means have been tried this has
failed to resolve the dispute and with army personnel being deployed war is
about to break out.
The object of each
Warlord is to become The Emerald Lord by
delivering Checkmate to the
opposing Queen (Kings do not shelter in castles whilst their Queens
go into battle) in the same manner as the King in Chess or by Occupation of the opposing palace
(explained under The TigerVariation). The Game Points awarded are different
for each object and are shown in the scoring table in the rules.
For competition play the
game of TigerChess may be arbitrated by one known as the Arbiter who will
ensure that both the spirit and the rules of the game are adhered to. He/She
has the power to decide the game in favour of the spirit of the game over the
rules of the game. It should be noted that any clocks used are of the Triple Countdown type (clocks working on
this principle are known as TigerClocks and
also include a Double Countdown type) as explained in the rules section. The
Arbiter may offer the service of moving army personnel and operation of clocks.
Army Personnel and abbreviations
Siberian
| The Personnel | Abbreviation |
|---|
|
The Siberian
TigerKnight
|
SIBTKN
|
|
The Siberian King
|
SKG
|
|
The Siberian Queen
|
SQ
|
|
The Siberian Baron
|
SBR
|
|
The Siberian Baroness
|
SBS
|
|
The Siberian Kings Lancer
|
SKL
|
|
The Siberian Queens Lancer
|
SQL
|
|
The Siberian Kings Tower
|
SKT
|
|
The Siberian Queens
Tower
|
SQT
|
|
The Siberian Knights
|
SKN
|
|
The Siberian Pikemen
|
SPK
|
|
The Siberian Archers
|
SA
|
|
The Siberian Swordsmen
|
SS
|
|
The Siberian Royal
Guard
|
SG
|
|
The Siberian
Standard
|
SSD
|
Bengal
| The Personnel | Abbreviation |
|---|
|
The Bengal
TigerKnight
|
BENTKN
|
|
The Bengal
King
|
BKG
|
|
The Bengal
Queen
|
BQ
|
|
The Bengal
Baron
|
BBN
|
|
The Bengal Baroness
|
BBS
|
|
The Bengal Kings Lancer
|
BKL
|
|
The Bengal Queens Lancer
|
BQL
|
|
The Bengal Kings Tower
|
BKT
|
|
The Bengal Queens
Tower
|
BQT
|
|
The Bengal
Knights
|
BKN
|
|
The Bengal
Pikemen
|
BPK
|
|
The Bengal
Archers
|
BA
|
|
The Bengal
Swordsmen
|
BS
|
|
The Bengal
Royal Guard
|
BG
|
|
The Bengal Standard
|
BSD
|
Initial Situation
Notes on Initial Situation
The Situation of the two
Armies prior to the deployment phase is exactly the same as in Chess. The
following pertain, however.
1) The Queen, though she has the same powers (i.e. can move to or
capture on any adjacent square) and vulnerability (i.e. to Checkmate) as the Western
Chess King, stands on the same square as the Western Chess Queen.
2) The King, who has the same powers as the Western Chess Queen stands
on the same square as the Western Chess King.
3) The Baron stands next to the King and the Baroness stands next to
the Queen, which are the squares occupied by the Chess Bishops.
4) The Lancer on the King-side is the Kings Lancer, and the Lancer on
the Queen-side is the Queens Lancer. The squares they occupy are the same as
those of the Chess Knights.
5) The Queens Tower stands in the same position as the Queen-side Rook
in Chess and The Kings Tower stands in the same position as the King-side Rook
in Chess.
6) The Pikemen occupy the same positions as the Chess Pawns.
7) Situated within their Strongholds are the Knights and situated in
the centre of the Palaces are the TigerKnights who have arrived from the Great Forest and have been given quarters in the
Palaces.
8) Each sides Swordsmen and Archers are situated in their Borderposts.
The Swordsmen are posted in the deployment phase of the game, which precedes
the engagement phase of the game.
9) The Royal Guards are situated in the centre of the Watchtowers.
10) The Standards are flown at the front and centre of the Palaces.
11) The Forest
Clearings extend to the Great Forest and form the borders of the Emerald Kingdom.
Notes on Personnel
The appearances of
personnel broadly follow the following:
1)
The
Queens differ only in colouring.
2)
The
Kings differ only in colouring.
3)
The
Baron and Baroness differ in appearance, but only as to colouring between
Armies.
4)
The
Kings Lancer, Queens Lancer and the Knights all differ in appearance, but
only as to colouring between Armies. The Knights bear the letters from A to H
but otherwise do not differ between themselves.
5)
The
Queens Tower is taller than the Kings Tower, which is broader, but between
Armies only differ as to colouring.
6)
The
Pikemen bear the mark of the letter of the file they are on at initial
situation (i.e. A to H) but otherwise do not differ and only differ between
Armies as to colouring.
7)
The
TigerKnights differ in colour and by the fact that the Siberian TigerKnight is
slightly the larger.
8)
The
Archers bear the mark of Roman numerals i to iv, but otherwise do not differ
and only differ between Armies as to colouring.
9)
The
Swordsmen bear the mark of Roman numerals i to iv, but otherwise do not differ
and only differ between Armies as to colouring.
10)The Royal Guards differ only in
colouring.
11)The Standards differ only in colouring.
Powers of Army Personnel
The names of the Personnel have been altered from
their equivalents in Chess and Draughts, and there are some alterations in
their powers of movement, exchange (promotion) and powers of capture. Their
details and equivalents are given below.
|
Tiger Chess Name
|
Chess/Draughts Equivalent
|
Moving Powers
|
Capturing
Powers
|
Exchange
Occurrences
|
|
Queen
|
King
|
Same
|
Same
|
N/A
|
|
King
|
Queen
|
Same
|
Same
|
N/A
|
|
Towers
|
Rooks
|
See 1
|
Same
|
N/A
|
|
Baron & Baroness
|
Bishops
|
Same
|
Same
|
N/A
|
|
Lancers & Knights
|
Knights
|
See 2
|
See 2
|
See 3
|
|
Pikemen
|
Pawns
|
Same
|
Same
|
See 3
|
|
TigerKnight
|
None
|
See 4
|
See 4
|
See 3
|
|
Swordsmen
|
Draughtsmen
|
Same
|
See 5
|
See 5
|
|
Archers
|
(Draughts) Kings
|
Same
|
See 6
|
N/A
|
Note: The Standard Bearers, Standards and Royal
Guards, are described under The Tiger Variation.
Powers of Army Personnel
Change 1
The two Towers, namely
the Queens Tower which, at initial Situation stands on the Queen-side corner
of A1/A8 and the Kings Tower which, at initial Situation stands of course on
the King-side corner of H1/H8, have the same powers of movement and capture as
the Rooks in Chess. The difference lies in Protecting the Queen (Castling)
which is the reverse of Chess Castling.
The conditions for
Protecting the Queen with the Queens Tower are:
1) Neither the Queen nor
the Queen's Tower must have been moved.
2) The Queen must not be
under attack.
3) Any squares passed
over or landed on by the Queen must not be under attack.
4)
All the squares between the Queen and the Queen's Tower must be unoccupied.
If these
conditions are met the relevant Warlord may exercise his right to Protect the
Queen, and the procedure is as follows:
1) The Queen's Tower is temporarily placed in its forest clearing and
this indicates the exercising of the right to protect the Queen is taking
place.
2) The Queen is placed on B1 for the Bengal Queen or B8 for the
Siberian Queen.
3) The Queen's Tower is now placed on C1 for the Bengal Queen's Tower or
C8 for the Siberian Queen's Tower.
4) The move is now complete and the relevant Warlord now presses his
clock and the move passes to his opponent.
Protecting with the Kings Tower follows the same conditions and procedure
as above, but the placement of the Queen and the King's Tower are similar to
long Castling in Chess and so the Bengal Queen is placed on F1 and the
Siberian Queen is placed on F8, and the Bengal King's Tower is placed on E1 and
the Siberian King's Tower is placed on E8.
Unlike Chess there may be some advantage in the long alternative due
to the different powers of the Lancers.
Powers of Army Personnel
Change 2
There are three
designations of the equivalents of Knights, each with their own powers of
movement and capture:
The
Kings Lancer can
move to any square either one or two squares away in a vertical or horizontal
direction and can jump over any intervening personnel if moving two squares.
He can capture on any of these squares. For example, if this Lancer were
situated on E4, he could move to or capture on E5, E6, E3, E2, C4, D4, F4 and
G4. He must capture on the square he moves to
and not any square he moves over when moving two squares.
The
Queens Lancer
can move to any square either one or two squares away in a diagonal direction
and can jump over any intervening personnel if moving two squares. He can
capture on any of these squares. For example, if this Lancer were situated on
E4, he could move to or capture on D5, C6, F5, G6, D3, C2, F3, and G2. He must
capture on the square he moves to
and not any square he moves over when moving two squares.
The
Knights move
and capture in exactly the same way as the Knights in Chess.
It can be seen that were the
three types of Knight placed in the centre of a 5x5 box of squares each would
attack the squares not attacked by the other two. The three Knights are
therefore complementary to each other in a similar sense to the two Chess
Bishops which operate on complementary squares.
LancerChess
If the only change to the game of Chess were to
replace the Chess Knights with the Lancers (plus the reversal of the Kings and
Queens roles) then the game would fundamentally change: the Kings Lancers
cover more squares along the edge and in the corners of the board than the
Chess Knights (six and four, compared to four and two); the Queens Lancers
operate on opposite coloured squares to each other and are confined to them;
the Barons operate on opposite coloured squares to each other, but the same as
those of their Queens Lancers. The minor pieces therefore become more
individual than the Bishops and Knights in Chess. This simplified version of
TigerChess is therefore called LancerChess. With LancerChess the normal Chess
board is used, Protecting the Queen (Castling) is as described for TigerChess (i.e.
the reverse of standard Chess), promotions of Pikemen take place whenever a
Pikeman reaches the eighth rank, as in standard Chess, and are the choice of:
King, Tower (which, in promotion, need not be distinguished as Kings or
Queens), Baron/Baroness (which depends on the colour of the square of
promotion the name should be consistent with their square colours at the
start of the game) or Lancer (Kings if the colour of the promotion square is
the same as the colour of the square of the original Kings Lancer or Queens
if the colour of the promotion square is the same as the colour of the square
of the original Queens Lancer). It is probably advisable to play a few games
of LancerChess before TigerChess so as to gain a feel for the difference this
makes to the game when compared to standard Chess.
Powers of Army Personnel
Change 3
The first Pikeman (Pawn)
to reach his eighth rank is automatically exchanged for (promoted to) the
TigerKnight and the TigerKnights powers are immediately in effect and can be
exercised upon the following move. The Pikeman then occupies the TigerKnights
position. Before reaching the eighth rank a Pikeman must obviously reach the
seventh rank and upon so doing there are exchange implications:
A)
If a Pikeman has already reached the eighth rank, then a Pikeman upon reaching
the seventh rank is automatically exchanged for a Knight. The Knight selected
is the one bearing the same letter as the Pikeman. The Pikeman then occupies
the selected Knights square.
B)
If no Pikeman has reached the eighth rank then the relevant Warlord has a
choice:
i)
He may elect to exchange the Pikeman for a Knight and then he selects the
Knight bearing the same letter as the Pikeman. The Pikeman then occupies the
selected Knights square. The move is then completed whereupon the relevant
Warlord presses his clock and the move passes to his opponent.
ii)
He may elect to forego the exchange in i) so that the Pikeman then has the
opportunity to be the first to reach the eighth rank. This choice means that
the Pikeman can no longer be exchanged for a Knight. This decision is indicated
by the relevant Warlord pressing his clock without exchanging for a Knight.
C)
There can therefore arise a situation by which one or more Pikeman can be on
the seventh rank who have foregone the opportunity to be exchanged for Knights
and where another Pikeman has reached the eighth rank first and so has been
exchanged for the TigerKnight. For those Pikemen so situated on the seventh
rank they now have no Exchange possibilities and must remain on the board as
Pikeman until and unless captured. They can of course still move to or capture
to the eighth rank but here they must remain until and unless they are
captured.
D)
There can only be one exchange for the TigerKnight. Should the TigerKnight be
captured he cannot subsequently be exchanged.
E)
As with the TigerKnight, a Knight upon entering the game has his powers
immediately in effect and they can be exercised upon the following move.
Powers of Army Personnel
Change 4
The TigerKnight has no equivalent in Chess or Draughts. His powers to move and capture by leaping are as shown under the heading "TigerKnight moves" and are all the non-linear squares within a 7x7 box. He can move to or capture on any of these squares regardless of any intervening personnel. There is one slight difference between the moves of the two TigerKnights as shown. It can be seen that the TigerKnight covers all the squares within this box not covered by the King (if the King were on the same square) and so his powers are complementary to the King.
Powers of Army Personnel
Change 5
A Swordsman (Draughtsman) moves exactly the same as an English Draughtsman, i.e. to either forward adjacent diagonal square, if vacant, and can capture one or more opposing Army Personnel in the same way as in the game of English Draughts i.e. by a diagonal forward single square jump(s) to a vacant square and this capturing sequence can be continued, but in contrast, he is not obliged to make a capture if able to do so as in Draughts and has total freedom of choice of when to stop a capturing sequence or which alternate path(s) of capture to take, if more than one. Upon reaching his eighth rank a Swordsman is automatically exchanged for an Archer and his powers are immediately in effect and can be exercised upon the following move. The choice of Archer is the one bearing the same Roman numeral as the Swordsman. The Swordsman then occupies the selected Archers square. The move is then completed whereupon the relevant Warlord presses his clock and the move passes to his opponent.
Powers of Army Personnel
Change 6
An Archer (Draughts King), like an English Draughts King can move to an adjoining diagonal square, forwards or backwards, if vacant, but can capture one or more opposing Army Personnel in a similar way as in the game of Spanish Draughts. This capture is made by jumping diagonally forwards or backwards but the jump is not restricted to, though includes, only a single square as with a Swordsman but may also include a jump(s) of any number of vacant squares between himself and the personnel member to be captured, to land on the vacant square immediately behind the captured personnel member, e.g. an Archer on F2 can capture an opposing member of personnel on C5 by landing on B6 provided E3 and D4 are vacant. This capturing sequence can be continued in like manner in the same direction or by turning off along diagonals forwards or backwards or even by backtracking. Captured personnel must be removed immediately since they cannot be used as part of any continuing capturing sequence. Like the Swordsman, the Archer is not obliged to make a capture if able to do so and has total freedom of when to stop a capturing sequence or which alternate path(s) of capture to take, if more than one.
TigerKnight moves
As can be seen, The Siberian
TigerKnight has another four squares which adds a long jump (more than two
squares) to his leaping abilities and this is not available to The Bengal TigerKnight. The
reason is that in the game of TigerChess the Bengal Warlord would, all things
being equal, exchange to the TigerKnight one move earlier than The Siberian
Warlord, and so by way of balance a few extra squares to compensate are
considered in order. It should be noted that jumping involves linear movement
whereas leaping involves oblique movement.
Deployment Phase-The Open variation
The Deployment Phase is
carried out whereby the deployment of the eight Swordsmen is decided according
to the following rules. The order of postings follows ascending order of mark
of Roman numeral on Swordsmen:
1)
The Siberian Warlord posts his
first Swordsman on any square on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
sixteen squares to choose from.
2)
The Bengal Warlord posts his first
Swordsman on any square on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
sixteen squares to choose from.
3)
The Bengal Warlord must now post
his second Swordsman on any vacant square on his third or fourth rank. There
are therefore fifteen squares to choose from.
4)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his second Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore fifteen squares to choose from.
5)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his third Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore fourteen squares to choose from.
6)
The Bengal Warlord must now post his third Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore fourteen squares to choose from.
7)
The Bengal Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore thirteen squares to choose from.
8)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore thirteen squares to choose from.
This completes the Deployment phase and the game now moves to the Engagement
phase with the Bengal Warlord moving first. The total number of possible
deployment moves is therefore 16x16x15x15x14x14x13x13 = 1,907,942,400. Since
there are 576 ways to reach each final position there are therefore 3,312,400
possible positions prior to engagement though this calculation would require
checking. Under the TigerVariation this would increase sixteenfold to 52,998,400
possible positions prior to engagement.
It can be seen that symmetry (postings on the same
file and equivalent rank) can only be forced by either player for three of
their four postings. Either player can therefore prevent full symmetry.
Deployment Phase-The Countdown variation
The Deployment Phase is
carried out whereby the deployment of the eight Swordsmen is decided according
to the following rules. The order of postings follows ascending order of mark
of Roman numeral on Swordsmen:
1)
The Siberian Warlord posts his
first Swordsman on any square on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
sixteen squares to choose from.
2)
The Bengal Warlord posts his first
Swordsman on any square on his third or fourth rank, except the symmetrical
square. For example if the Siberian Warlord had posted his first Swordsman on
C6 then the Bengal Warlord can post his first Swordsman on any square on his
third or fourth rank except C3. There are therefore fifteen squares to choose
from e.g. F4.
3)
The Bengal Warlord must now post
his second Swordsman on any vacant square on his third or fourth rank except
the symmetrical square of C3. There are therefore fourteen squares to choose from e.g. B3.
4)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his second Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank except the symmetrical squares of F5 and B6 There are
therefore thirteen squares to choose from e.g. H5.
5)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his third Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank except the symmetrical squares of F5 and B6. There
are therefore twelve squares to choose from e.g. C5.
6)
The Bengal Warlord must now post his third Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank except the symmetrical squares of C3, C4 and H4.
There are therefore eleven squares to choose from e.g. G3.
7)
The Bengal Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank except the symmetrical squares of C3, C4 and H4.
There are therefore ten squares to choose from e.g. E4.
8)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank except the symmetrical squares F5, B6, G6 and E5. There
are therefore nine squares to choose from e.g. A6.
This completes the Deployment phase and the game now moves to the Engagement
phase with the Bengal Warlord moving first. The total number of possible
deployment moves is therefore 16x15x14x13x12x11x10x9 = 500,918,400. The
calculation of possible deployment positions by dividing by 576 may not be
appropriate in this variation, though would increase sixteenfold under the
TigerVariation.
Deployment Phase-The Dragon variation
The Deployment Phase is
carried out whereby the deployment of the eight Swordsmen is decided according
to the following rules. The order of postings follows ascending order of mark
of Roman numeral on Swordsmen:
1)
The Siberian Warlord posts his
first Swordsman on any square on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
sixteen squares to choose from.
2)
The Bengal Warlord posts his first
Swordsman on any opposite coloured
square to the Siberian Swordsman, on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
eight squares to choose from.
3)
The Bengal Warlord must now post
his second Swordsman on any vacant same
coloured square as his first, on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
seven squares to choose from.
4)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his second Swordsman on any vacant same coloured square to his first, on his
third or fourth rank. There are therefore seven squares to choose from.
5)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his third Swordsman on any vacant same coloured square as his first two, on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore six squares to choose from.
6)
The Bengal Warlord must now post
his third Swordsman on any vacant same
coloured square as his first two, on his third or fourth rank. There are
therefore six squares to choose from.
7)
The Bengal Warlord must now post
his fourth Swordsman on any vacant same
coloured square as his first three, on his third or fourth rank. There are
therefore five squares to choose from.
8)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman on any vacant same coloured square as his first three, on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore five squares to choose from.
This
completes the Deployment phase and the game now moves to the Engagement phase
with the Bengal Warlord moving first. The total number of possible deployment
moves is therefore 16x8x7x7x6x6x5x5 = 5,644,800. The calculation of possible
deployment positions by dividing by 576 may not be appropriate in this
variation, though would increase sixteenfold under the TigerVariation.
This
deployment variation therefore results in each players Swordsmen being all on
same coloured squares but on opposite coloured squares to those of their
opponent It can also be seen that symmetry can only be forced by either player for three of their
four postings. Either player
can
therefore prevent full symmetry.
Deployment Phase-The Symmetrical variation
The Deployment Phase is
carried out whereby the deployment of the eight Swordsmen is decided according
to the following rules. The order of postings follows ascending order of mark
of Roman numeral on Swordsmen:
1)
The Siberian Warlord posts his
first Swordsman on any square on his third or fourth rank. There are therefore
sixteen squares to choose from. For example C6.
2)
The Bengal Warlord must post his first Swordsman on the square which has his
same numbered rank and the same file as his opponent and will be of an opposite
colour. In this example the Bengal Warlord must post his first Swordsman on
C3. There is only one square possible.
3)
The Bengal Warlord must now post
his second Swordsman on any vacant square on his third or fourth rank. There
are therefore fifteen squares to choose from. For example G4.
4)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his second Swordsman in accordance with the
logic in 2) above. There is therefore only one choice: G5.
5)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his third Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore fourteen squares to choose
from. For example C5.
6)
The Bengal Warlord must now post his third Swordsman in accordance with the
logic in 2) above. There is therefore only one choice: C4.
7)
The Bengal Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman on any vacant square on
his third or fourth rank. There are therefore thirteen squares to choose
from. For example H3.
8)
The Siberian Warlord must now post his fourth Swordsman in accordance with the
logic in 2) above. There is therefore only one choice: H6.
This completes
the Deployment phase and the game now moves to the Engagement phase with the
Bengal Warlord moving first. The total number of possible deployment moves is
therefore 16x1x15x1x14x1x13x1 = 43,680. The calculation of
possible deployment positions by dividing by 576 may not be appropriate in this
variation, though would increase sixteenfold under
the TigerVariation.
This variation always gives full symmetry.
The Engagement Phase and Rules
The Engagement phase
follows according to the main rules of Chess, the Bengal Warlord moves first
and players make alternate moves until Checkmate, Stalemate or a Draw occurs.
For tournament or match play there are one or two rules in addition to those of
Chess as follows:
1)
The
Arbiter shall ensure both the rules and spirit of the game are adhered to.
2)
The
Arbiter can award a decision based on the spirit of the game above the rules of
The Game.
3)
The Arbiter may move the personnel and operate the clocks.
4)
Players
may be disqualified for not giving of their best and forfeit any possible
points.
5)
The board should be much larger than standard Chess or Draughts boards,
coloured in shades of green and should include a good measure of the Great Forest.
6)
Moves,
including the deployment phase, should be recorded.
7)
Captured
personnel are placed in their opponents Forest Clearing behind the Palace and
Watchtower for the remainder of the game.
8)
The
prime colours of The Siberian Army and Standard are orange, with some black and
white.
9)
The prime colours of The Bengal Army and Standard are white, with some black.
10) Once personnel have been touched by
either player or the Arbiter then they must be moved if possible. The move
cannot be retracted once the players or Arbiters hand has let go. The
Arbiter must follow the players instructions in this regard. This rule
applies in both phases of the Game. Care should be taken with multiple
captures by Swordsman and Archers.
11)
Clocks
must be of the Triple Countdown type. For example, say that each player is
allocated 30 minutes on his clock, which counts down, to complete the
deployment phase and should not exceed this limit. Upon the commencement of
the engagement phase a further 150 minutes is added to each players clock on
top of any remaining balance from the Deployment phase. Each player should now
complete all, or as many as possible of, his moves before his clock counts down
to zero. If, however, a players clock reaches zero during the deployment
phase he does not automatically lose but may not make any further postings of
Swordsmen, his opponent then posts his remaining Swordsman with the same clock
rule applying and may post these Swordsmen anywhere on his third or fourth
rank. During the engagement phase each move a player makes builds up 60
seconds on a separate reserve (or
separate clock) and if his main clock counts down to zero he must then complete
all his moves within this reserve time or will lose the game. For example if a
player has made 50 moves during the engagement phase and his clock has counted
down to zero he is allowed a final 50 minutes (which countdown) to complete all
his moves in. Moves made during this final phase do not build up any further time.
12) All Squares on the Chessfield
are termed Positions.
13) The Scoring Table is
as follows
a)
For
Checkmate delivered three game points are awarded.
b) For a Draw one game point is awarded.
14)
For a conceding by a player the normal award is three game points. The Arbiter
may overrule in exceptional circumstances.
15)
For a loss on time the normal award is three game points. The Arbiter may
overrule in exceptional circumstances.
16)
Players may agree to a draw, but must have given of their best. The Arbiter
may overrule.
Rules
Deployment
17) Players may only agree to play the Open
variation. In the absence of such an agreement the Arbiter must cast a
standard six-sided dice from a cup, whereupon if the uppermost number is:
a)
2, 4 or 6 then the Countdown variation
must be played.
b)
3 or 5 then the Dragon variation must be
played.
c)
1 then the Symmetrical variation must be
played.
It should be
noted that transpositions can occur and are allowed.
17a) Following
17, whichever of the four variations are to be played, the Arbiter must cast
two standard dice from a cup, whereupon if the uppermost numbers are the same
(a double), the TigerVariation must be played.
17b) Games
played under the TigerVariation have the deployment phase described as the TigerOpen
variation, the TigerCountdown variation, the TigerDragon variation or the TigerSymmetrical
variation.
18) Players may post two Swordsmen simultaneously
where appropriate.
Rules
Other
19) Players
should state check when their Opponents Queen is under attack though it is not
compulsory to do so.
20) Should a member of army personnel waiting for entry into the game be
in a situation where it is no longer possible to enter the game (e.g. a Knight
cannot enter the game if his corresponding Pikeman is captured) then this
member should be placed in his area of the Forest Clearings alongside one of
his Borderposts for the remainder of the game, though this is not compulsory.
The TigerVariation
When playing
this variation the following changes apply:
1) The object of the
game is to:
a)
Occupy the opposing Palace, which scores six game points,
or
b)
Deliver Checkmate, which scores three game points.
Any
other result except conceding or a loss on time results in no game points being
awarded to either player.
2) The Deployment
phase is carried out as follows:
a) The Siberian Warlord transfers his Standard to his Kings Lancer who
is then known as The Standard Bearer. His Siberian TigerKnight is then placed
in his Forest clearing.
b)
The Siberian Warlord then chooses to post his Royal Guard
to his Palace on either the C wing (in line with the C file), D wing (in file
line), E wing (in file line) or F wing (in file line).
c)
The Siberian Warlord then places his TigerKnight in the
centre of his Watchtower.
d)
The Bengal Warlord carries out the same procedures as above
and has the choice of posting his Royal Guard to either the C, D, E or F wing
of his Palace.
e)
The Swordsmen are now posted in the usual way according to
which deployment variation (Open, Countdown, Dragon or Symmetrical) applies.
3) All clock times
are doubled.
4) Occupation of the
Palace is carried out as follows:
a) The Standard Bearer must capture the Royal Guard and therefore be
the sole occupant of the opposing Palace by means of jumping over the opposing
Stronghold to land on the Palace wing occupied by the Royal Guard. His Queen
must not be in check and he must play his usual two square vertical jump.
b)
For example, if the Siberian Royal Guard were posted on
the E wing of his Palace then the Bengal Standard Bearer could capture him and
occupy the Palace only if he were situated on the square E8.
5)
The Standard Bearer may not move
outside the Chessfield (unless captured) for any other purpose than to occupy
the opposing Palace and apart from this his moving and capturing powers are
unchanged. He may not enter an empty wing of the Palace.
6) Conceding the game or losing on time usually results in the loss of
six points though if the winning player has had his Standard Bearer captured
this will be three points. Both players may agree to an award of three points
if Checkmate is inevitable. The Arbiter may overrule.
7) The capture of the Standard Bearer(s)
does not affect the game other than to leave Checkmate as the only winning
object for the player(s) concerned.
8)
Although the Royal Guards have the
theoretical power to capture on any wing of their Palace, this power is not
called upon and they cannot move without capturing and so remain in a fixed
position until and unless captured.
An Identity Check
Called
Combination
Lock
The author of
Dragon, TigerChess and TigerBridge,
G. Nicholls,
can identify himself by:
Showing the
moves leading to the following positions:
C1AAAAAAA
C2ABBCCAA
C3AACCBBA
C4ACBACBA
