Waffle Chess

Waffle Chess is chess on a 10x8 board with waffles added. This variant's design was inspired by my desire to use a symmetrically moving piece type along with a FIDE army, and Dr. H.G. Muller suggested that the Waffle (aka Phoenix) might be an interesting choice, if feasible

There is a preset available for play on Game Courier.

Setup

Pieces

This game uses one unorthodox piece type:

The Waffle piece type used in this game (depicted by elephant figurine) is a compound piece that can move as a wazir (i.e. it can move one square orthogonally, that is by rank or file), or it can move as an alfil (i.e. it can leap two squares diagonally).

Rules

Waffle Chess uses "fast castling" the rules of which are as follows: A king that has never moved, and is not in check, can 'leap' once a game, along the first rank, to any unattacked empty square between it and an unmoved rook, followed by said rook 'leaping' to the king's initial square so as to complete castling in one single move. It does not matter if any squares in between are occupied or under attack.

Threefold repetition of position or stalemate is a draw as in standard chess, and the 50 move rule is also in effect in Waffle Chess (i.e. game drawn if no captures or pawn moves have been made before 50 consecutive moves by both sides). Pawns move as in chess, and can promote to any piece type included in the setup, except for a king.

Notes

For this game's 10x8 board I tentatively put P=1; EW=2.695(or 2.75 approx.); N=3.38(or 3.25 approx.); B=3.75; R=5.5; Q=R+B+P=10.25 and K's fighting value=3.2. Fast castling rules are used in this variant to try to facilitate king safety and development. Note that all the pawns are protected in the setup.

Last revised by Fergus Duniho.