Vivarta Chess

I want to introduce you to the variant of chess that I use to create my fairy chess problems and which is essentially a modification of Parton's Gryphon chess. However, this variation of chess is strikingly different from Parton's Gryphon chess. Paying tribute to the country where chess originated, I used the Sanskrit word Vivarta in the name of this variant of chess as it perfectly conveys what is happening not only on the chessboard but also in our minds during the game. The Sanskrit word vivarta (विवर्त) means alteration, modification, change of form, altered condition or state.

This version of chess is similar to Gryphon chess, but there is no restriction on the simultaneous participation of four knights, four bishops, four rooks or two queens. Moreover there is no queen transformation on the last ranks of the board.

Setup

Standard chess setup.

Rules

The rules are simple. Each piece automatically transforms into a different piece every time it moves.

• Pawns transform into Knights
• Knights transform into Bishops
• Bishops transform into Rooks
• Rooks transform into Queens
• Queens transform into Pawns (except for the first and eighth rank where Queens always remain Queens for both White and Black)
• King remains King

There is no promotion for pawns on the last rank, no en passant, no castling.

Notes

Last revised by Fergus Duniho.