Not-so colorbound cylindrical chess
Idea is simple. All chess variantists know (and if some don't know, they will not be surprised) that on cylindrical board with odd number of files normally colorbound pieces (like standart bishop) are unbound. This fact was successfully used in several chess variants. But i don't know any chess variant, that utilizes only normally-colorbound pieces on such board. Maybe, it already exists, but anyway, here is my version. Game can be played with standart set, covering or ignoring one file.
Setup
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Array
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[0] => http://i.imgur.com/4xI5THI.jpg
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Ignore yellow and green coloring. Files A and G are connected, and squares of one are orthogonally-adjecent to identically-colored squares of another.
Pieces
Bishop moves as in standart chess. It is the strongest piece of initial setup (stronger pieces can be obtained after pawn promotion). Pawns, unlike standart chess counterpants, moves and captures in same way: one square diagonally forward. This piece is also known as stone general (in Shogi variants), crab (in fairy chess problems) and cross (in Gilman's classification). There is no initial double-step: pieces are already mobile-enough to make fast game. ----- -x-x- --P-- ----- Kyrin-king steps 1 square diagonally or jumps exactly 2 squares orthogonally, and plays role of king. Name is taken from Shogi variants (where it's non-royal). This piece is also known as diamond. There is no castling (and no any need in it). ------- ---x--- --x-x-- -x-K-x- --x-x-- ---x--- ------- Camel is well-known extended knight: makes 1:3 leap. --------- ---x-x--- --------- -x-----x- ----C---- -x-----x- --------- ---x-x--- --------- Movement diagramm for 7x8 cylindrical board: ------- -x----x ------- ---xx-- C------ ---xx-- ------- -x----x Note that on this board it can attack two sideways-adjecent squares. Dababah-rider makes one or several jumps two squares orthogonally in same directions. It can also be described as moving along rook lines, but stopping only on even squares, jumping over odd squares. On standart board it's even less than colorbound: it's bound to quarter. But on this board it can visit half of squares: on odd or even ranks (so, your dababah-riders never can interact with opposing ones). Here, making circles, it can control it's rank in manner of rook. It is not allowed to make null moves (stopping on same square, it stayed before). ------x------ ------------- ------x------ ------------- ------x------ ------------- x-x-x-D-x-x-x ------------- ------x------ ------------- ------x------ ------------- ------x------ Movement diagramm for 7x8 cylindrical board: ------- ----x-- ------- ----x-- ------- xxxxDxx ------- ----x--
Rules
On last rank pawn promotes to double-compound pieces: bishop + camel (caliph), bishop + dababah-rider or camel + dababah-rider. I don't see here any reasons of promotion to basic piece, expect to tease your opponent, so promotion to basic pieces is not allowed. I think there is enough power (for checkmating Kyrin-king, of course), so stalemate is draw. But if you wish, you may play variant with stalemate being win. Other rules are standart.
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By Daniil Frolov.
Web page created: 2014-02-22. Web page last updated: 2014-02-22