Desert Dust
*** STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION ****
Pieces
Melek: Melek is Arabic for "king," and the Melek moves exactly like the King.
The piece I use for the Arabic King is identical to the usual King, with the cross replaced with the star-and-crescent symbol of Islam.
Sultana: The Sultana combines the moves of the Queen and the Camel.
The Caliph and Canvasser needed a counterpart with a Queen's move, so I created this piece.
Emir: The Emir slides orthogonally like a Rook, moves to any adjacent space, or leaps like a Camel.
This is borrowed from Robert Shimmin's game Scheherezade.
Caliph: The Caliph slides diagonally like a Bishop, or leaps like a Camel.
This piece has been around for a while.
Hakim: The Hakim slides orthogonally like a Rook, or leaps like a Camel.
This is just a renamed version of the Canvasser.
Sultan: The Sultan moves to any diagonal space, or leaps like a Knight or Camel.
Also borrowed from Scheherezade.
Grand Vizier: The Grand Vizier can moves to any adjacent space, or leaps like a Camel or two spaces diagonally.
Also borrowed from Scheherezade.
Snake: The Snake moves one space forward or backward, then may continue outward like a Bishop.
I'm actually not sure where the Snake originated, other than that it's a modern invention. It gets its name from its diagram's resemblance to a snake's tongue; in fact, some variants call it the Snaketongue.
Astrologer: The Astrologer leaps like a Camel, and then may continue outward like a Bishop.
This piece is borrowed from Daniel Zacharias's game Tiger Chess.
Raven: The Raven slides orthogonally like a Rook, or leaps outward like a Nightrider.
This piece has been around for a while, though mostly as a chess-problem piece.
Ostrich: The Ostrich leaps two spaces diagonally, and then may continue outward like a Rook.
Borrowed from Obento Chess by Eric Silverman and Jean-Louis Cazaux.
Satrap: The Satrap moves one space or leaps two spaces diagonally, but cannot capture with that move. It can also move one space or leap two spaces orthogonally, but only to capture.
Taken from one of Charles Gilman's extensive Man & Beast articles on this site.
Qayin: The Qayin moves one space or leaps two spaces orthogonally, but cannot capture with that move. It can also move one space or leap two spaces diagonally, but only to capture.
I created this piece as a counterpart to the Satrap.
Jackal: The Jackal leaps three spaces diagonally, or like a Zebra.
I originally created this as a counterpart to the Leon, or Spanish Lion, which leaps three spaces orthogonally or like a Camel.
Shiek: The Sheik moves to any adjacent diagonal space, leaps like a Camel, or leaps to every other orthogonal space (like a Dabbabarider).
Another piece borrowed from Scheherezade.
Sorcerer: The Sorcerer moves one space orthogonally, or leaps like a Zebra.
This piece first appeared in Charles Daniel's game Sorcerer Chess.
Wizard: The Wizard moves one space diagonally, or leaps like a Camel.
This piece first appeared in Daniel MacDonald's game Omega Chess.
Arabian Spear: The Arabian Spear moves directly forward like a Rook, or diagonally forward like a Bishop. (It cannot move sideways or backward.)
More properly called the Arabic Spear, the earliest place where I can find this piece is in Hans Bodlander's game Pick-the-Team Chess.
Camel: The Camel leaps one space by three spaces.
This is an old historical piece.
Pawn: The Pawn moves like a Pawn in standard Chess, including a two-step opening move and en passant capture.
This piece is the only one in the game that is unchanged from standard Chess.
Scorpion: The Scorpion moves like a standard Pawn, with one added move: a non-capturing leap one step forward and two steps to the left or right.
This Scorpion is borrowed from Scorpion Chess by M. Winther.
Rules
Other than the above, rules are as in standard Chess.
This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.
By Bob Greenwade.
Last revised by Bob Greenwade.
Web page created: 2023-08-21. Web page last updated: 2023-10-22