Six Fortresses

SIX FORTRESSES
By Gary K. Gifford

Intro:
Six Fortresses is played on a 9x9 checkered board.  Each side has three fortresses to protect.  

When pieces are captured they are removed from the game as in regular Fide chess.  When a captured Fortress is removed from the board, you get pieces that you can drop (as in Shogi) and your opponent gets a King's Imposter to drop (or real King if it was his last remaining Fortress).

Setup

As in above diagram.*  (Pending CV upload bug fix)

Preset is here:

/play/pbm/play.php?game%3DSix+Fortresses%26settings%3Ddefault


*
At the start of the game, Wazirs and Ferz can be relocated to any non-fortress space on the player's own first rank.  This does not count as a turn.

Pieces

At the start of the game there are these pieces in the quantities shown are visible for each side:

Pawns – 9    Move as chess pawns; except no initial 2-step move.
Promote on the last rank to R, N, B, or Q.

Rooks – 2    no castling

Knights – 2

Bishops – 2

Queens –  2

Wazir -2:  Orthoganally, 1 Step.  At start of game, Wazirs and Ferz can be relocated to nay non-fortress space on the first rank.  This does not count as a turn.

Ferz-2: Diagonally, 1 step. At start of game, Wazirs and Ferz can be relocated to nay non-fortress space on the first rank.  This does not count as a turn.


King’s Imposter – 1  Moves like a King.  No castling. Check and Checkmate do not  apply to the Imposter.  You use them like mini-1-move Queens.  When dropped, they cannot be dropped next to an enemy fortress.

Fortresses -  3 These each include additional pieces as described in the rules.  Fortresses CAN NOT MOVE.  The last of your fortresses captured holds your King.  Therefore, as long as you have 1 fortress remaining you cannot be checkmated.

Rules

Wazirs and Ferz may be repositioned prior to starting the game.  They can be relocated to any non-fortress space on the player's own first rank.  But you cannot put two pieces on the same square.

When the first enemy Fortress is captured you get a Bishop and Knight of your color to drop as in Shogi, on your following turn or after.  Your opponent gets a King’s Imposter to drop.  You can only drop one item per turn.  You can have more than 1 Bishop on the same color diagonal. 

IMPORTANT: 
IMPOSTER KINGS CANNOT BE DROPPED ADJACENT TO AN ENEMY FORTRESS.  THERE MUST BE AT LEAST 1 SPACE BETWEEN AN IMPOSTER KING AND AN ENEMY FORTRESS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING AN IMPOSTER KING DROP. 

***Be careful.  If your King is on the board, before capturing a fortress check to see that your opponent won't be able to drop his released King's Imposter to deliver checkmate to your real King.***

When the second enemy Fortress is captured you get a Knight and Rook to drop.
Your opponent gets a King’s Imposter.  

When the third enemy Fortress is captured you get a Knight and Queen to drop.  Your opponent gets his real King which he must place on the board.  That placement counts as his turn.

Play proceeds until a King is checkmated, stalemated, or a draw is agreed.

Notes

To be added later, should questions arise.  

Six Fortresses (c) August 2006 by Gary K. Gifford