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This page is written by the game's inventor, Roger Cooper.

Bid Chess

(A Chess Variant with different armies)

Rules

  1. Choose colors randomly
  2. Pick a chess piece (or power or restriction). A possible random list follows.
  3. Each player submits a bid. The high bidder gets the piece. On ties, black gets the piece. The winning bidder must then give up men whose value equals his bid. Use values of P=1, N=3, B=3, R=5, Q=9. (Bids can be negative).
  4. Each player sets up his forces on simultaneously, behind a barrier, on his first three ranks. Pawns can't start on the first rank. Bishops must be deployed on opposite color squares.
  5. White's first move can not be a capture. Otherwise play proceeds normally.

If the man seems low in value, just bid for 2 or 3 of them. It is a good idea to discuss the ramifications of an unusual piece before bidding.

Send any questions or comments to (email removed contact us for address) .com

A sample list of chess pieces follows (using Henry Davidson's, A Short History of Chess). Feel free to create your own list.

 

Piece

Power

1

Adjundant

B+N

2

Alfil

Moves/captures with a 2-2 leap

3

Bare King

If you capture all your opponents men, you win

4

Camel

Leaps 2 squares diagonally

5

Camel

3-1 leaper

6

Camel

3-1 leaper

7

Cannon

Moves like R. Captures on R-lines, but must cross a piece to do so

8

Cannon

R

9

Centaur

R+N

10

Centurion

K+N

11

Champion

R+N

12

Chancellor

R+N

13

Concubine

R+N

14

Counseller

Non-royal King

15

Courier

B

16

Crowned Rook

R+K

17

Decurion

1 square diagonally

18

Dragoon

B

19

Enlisting Captives

Captured enemy pieces can reused and placed instead of moving. Captured Pawns must be placed in your half of the board

20

Equerry

B+N

21

Gaja(Elephant)

Moves/captures 1 square diagonally or 1 square forward

22

Gazelle

3-1 leaper

23

General

Q+N

24

Giraffe

4-1 leaper

25

Griffon

1 diagonal then any number orthogonal

26

Guard

R+N

27

Jester

1-0 leaper

28

King's Leap

Your K may move once like a N

29

Lion

4-0 leaper

30

Mantri(Counseller)

Moves/captures 1 square diagonally

31

Marshall

R+N

32

Restricted Promotion

Your Pawns may only promote to lost pieces

33

Rhinocerus

B+N

34

Sacrifice

If your K is checkmated you may have it exchange places with another piece and continue play

35

Scout

B

36

Single-Move Pawn

Your Pawns lack the double move

37

Sow

Non-royal King

38

Sow

Leaps 2 squares diagonally

39

Stalemate=Win

If you stalemate your opponent, you win

40

Unicorn

B+N

41

Vizier

4-1 leaper


Written by Roger Cooper. HTML conversion by David Howe.
WWW page created: October 5, 1998.