OctaChess
OctaChess is a variant of Chess with Different Armies. There are a total of eight armies that includes four armies inspired by the classics (Chess, Shogi, Xiangqi, Janggi) and four modern armies with new fairy chess pieces. Besides the King and Pawns, none of the armies have pieces that can move exactly like a piece from another army.
The chess variant armies in OctaChess have been designed to be of about equal strength. A spreadsheet comparing the different strengths calculated from Zillions of Games are attached in the Notes section below.
Setup
Every army in OctaChess has King and Pawns, plus pieces equivalent to the Queen, Bishop, Knight, and Rook pieces in Orthodox Chess (or Queen Chess). The pieces for each OctaChess army are arranged in the same way as the equivalents in Queen Chess. The pieces and their moveset for each army in OctaChess are described below.
Pieces
Queen Chess
Rook
Moves as the Rook in Orthodox Chess.
Knight
Moves as the Knight in Orthodox Chess.
Bishop
Moves as the Bishop in Orthodox Chess.
Queen
Moves as the Queen in Orthodox Chess.
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Cannon Chess
Cannon-General
Moves any number of squares orthogonally, and can capture by sliding or jumping over a piece (Rook+Cannon).
Horse-General
Moves one square orthogonally, or one square orthogonally, then one square diagonally outward (Xiangqi Horse+General).
Elephant-General
Slides up to two squares, or moves one square orthogonally (Elephant+Advisor+General).
Advisor-General
Moves one square diagonally or one square orthogonally without capturing.
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Dragon Chess
Slides any number of squares orthogonally, or one square diagonally.
Silver Knight
Moves one square diagonally, one square orthogonally forward, or leaps two squares forward in an āLā shape (Silver General+Shogi Knight).
Moves one square orthogonally, or one square diagonally forward.
Dragon Lance
Slides any number of squares diagonally, any number of squares orthogonally forward, or one square orthogonally sideways. and backward (Dragon Horse+Lance)
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Stallion Chess
Palace Guard
Slides any number of squares orthogonally, one square diagonally, or leaps over a piece exactly one square diagonally (Chariot+Advisor+Janggi Cannon diagonal move in the Palace).
Stallion
Moves one square orthogonally, then one or two squares diagonally forward (Janggi Elephant+Janggi Horse).
Cannon
Can only move by leaping over any piece (similar to the Janggi Cannon but it can leap over another Cannon. piece)
Palace Chariot
Slides any number of squares orthogonally, and up to two squares diagonally (Chariot+Advisor+Janggi Chariot diagonal move in the Palace).
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Chimera Chess
Flying Jester
Moves one square orthogonally, captures any number of squares orthogonally.
Chimera
Leaps two squares orthogonally, diagonally, or in a orthogonal-diagonal sequence in an āLā shape (Knight+Alfil+Dabbabah).
Moves one square in any direction.
Grand Chimera
Moves one square orthogonally like the Chimera, one square orthogonally without capturing, and captures one square diagonally (Knight+Alfil+Dabbabah+Pawn that can act sideways and backward).
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Dark Knight Chess
Void
Slides up to two squares orthogonally or diagonally.
Serpent
Moves one square orthogonally, or leaps two squares orthogonally (Wazir+Dabbabah).
Sorcerer
Moves one square diagonally, or leaps two squares diagonally (Ferz+Alfil).
Knightmare
Leaps like a Knight up to three consecutive 'L' shapes in the same direction, moves one square orthogonally without capturing, or captures one square diagonally (Knightrider+Pawn that can act sideways and backward).
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Plato Chess
Icosahedron
Slides up to four squares orthogonally or leaps two squares diagonally like an Alfil.
Dodecahedron
Leaps two squares in an `L` shape or two squares orthogonally (Knight+Dabbabah).
Octahedron
Slides up to two squares diagonally.
2-Cube-Tetra
Slides up to six squares forward, one square sideways and backward, or two squares diagonally.
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Noble Chess
Coronet Rook
Moves one square in any direction, can capture any number of squares orthogonally.
Moves one square in any direction, or leaps two squares in an āLā shape.
Coronet Bishop
Moves one square in any direction, can capture any number of squares diagonally.
Coronet Pawn
Moves one square orthogonally without capturing, or captures by leaping one or two squares diagonally.
King
Moves as the King in Orthodox Chess.
Pawn
Moves as the Pawn in Orthodox Chess.
Rules
The King can castle with the Rook equivalent as in Orthodox Chess. The Pawn can promote to a Queen, Bishop, Knight, or Rook equivalent upon reaching the last rank. The en Passant rule is the same for all chess variants in OctaChess.Notes
Each chess variant in OctaChess is designed to be of about equal strength to the Orthodox Chess army. The strength of the pieces is calculated using Zillions of Games. Details of the calculation can be found in the attached spreadsheet below.
OctaChess Strength Calculations
Play with Zillions of Games
Click the links below to download Zillions of Games files where you can play the eight armies in OctaChess against each other. The classic variants are Chess, Cannon Chess (based on Xiangqi), Dragon Chess (based on Shogi), and Stallion Chess (based on Janggi). The modern variants are Chimera Chess, Dark Knight Chess, Plato Chess, and Noble 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 Albert Lee.
Last revised by Albert Lee.
Web page created: 2021-11-23. Web page last updated: 2023-11-15
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