Abalonian Chess

Abolonian Chess is the fusion of the abstract strategy game Abalone with Chess.

Setup

As in FIDE Chess.

Pieces

Standard chess equipment.

Rules

In addition to the standard chess rules (with 2 adjustments, which I will go back to), players may, as in Abalone, perform single squares pushes. A push is performed by the rearmost piece in a linear chain of pieces, the driving piece, along the pieces natural direction of movement. Any number of pieces may be pushed in this manner. [note: even though a piece may only perform one push, a sliding piece may move and continue in that direction with a push as a turn.]

To push enemy pieces, the pushing side must have numerical advantage, eg 3 pieces pushing 2. Opposing pieces that are pushed off the board are captured.

The one piece that can perform more than one push in a turn is the knight. When pushing, a knights movement is treated as a combination of orthogonal and diagonal steps. It may thus perform 2 separate pushes in this way.

Note: 1st difference I feel obliged to add to the original chess rules, and I will add these to all variants with standard equipment, is my own personal stalemate adjustment rule (I guess I could push this as a modest variant in itself?); stalemated side with king and pawns/lone king vs stalemating side with king and at least one piece, gives victory to the stalemating side.

Pawns promote automatically to the rook+knight compound [insert name of preference], rather having a choice of initial FIDE pieces.

Notes

Pawns are much more mobile-doubled pawns are no longer an issue-and promotion occurs more often. Bishops are no longer colour bounded, and knights are also significantly boosted by their increased mobility, versatility in pushing, and ability to perform double pushes.

Back rank and smothered checkmates are no longer possible.

King plus pawn vs lone king in endgames now gives victory.