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Timurid

Timurid Chess Variant is an Evolution of Tamerlane II for 12x12 chessboard. The addition of a queen enables to have the bishops on differents colors. As in Tamerlane, strong pieces can only appear after promotion, it gives an original taste to this large Chess Variant. However, if you like quick and bloody battles, you can replace also Ship by Eagles on the initial set-up for the Wild Timurid Chess variant.

Setup

Initial setup of Timurid chess

Wild Timurid Variant :

setup of wild Timurid variant

Pieces

King: identical to FIDE chess, except that there is no castling at Timurid.

Prince: a non-royal King who moves and captures one square in any direction, but without being hindered by check. It has been inspired by medieval games like the "Man". For its first move, like the Pawn, it may go without capturing to the second square forward if the intervening square is unoccupied.

Move of the prince

Ship: moves one square diagonally and then, goes away of an indefinite number of cases vertically, never horizontally. It can move one square diagonally only. It can not jump and must begin its move with the diagonal step. The Ship is more limited than the Eagle (which can move horizontally, see below). Nevertheless its move power is between the Rook and the Bishop.

Move of the ship

Cannon: exactly as in Xiangqi. The Cannon moves without taking like a Rook, but it takes by going in a straight horizontal and vertical line and jumping over exactly one piece.

move of a cannon

Camel: a (3,1) jumper, it jumps to the opposite square of a 2x4 rectangle, like an extended Knight. No matter what intermediate squares contain. Note that it always stays on the same color of square.

Move of the camel

Elephant: it moves one or two squares diagonally. When an Elephant moves two squares, no matter what intermediate squares contain.

Move of the elephant

Rapid Pawn: it can move straight forward one, or two square from anywhere on the board without capturing. It captures one square diagonally forward.

Move of the rapid pawn

Rules

Castling: There is no castling in Tamerlane II.

En passant capture: Any time a Pawn or Prince takes a double step and passes through a square controlled by an opposing Pawn, that Pawn may capture the Pawn or Prince as if it has only moved one square. This en passant capture must be made on the move immediately following the double step. Only a Pawn may capture en passant; the Prince does not have this option.

Pawn promotion: When a Pawn reaches the last row on the opposite side of the board, it is promoted to a Queen of the same color and nothing else. This promotion cannot be refused.

Prince promotion: A Prince may also be promoted when reaching the last row on the opposite side of the board. The Prince is promoted to a Queen of the same color. This promotion is optional. If the promotion is refused, it may be accepted later, if the Prince moves on the last row again.

Ship Promotion: When a Ship reaches one of the two opposite corners (a11 or k11 for White, a1 or k1 for Black), it is promoted to an Eagle of the same color. This promotion cannot be refused.



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By François Houdebert.

Last revised by François Houdebert.


Web page created: 2023-10-24. Web page last updated: 2024-01-22

Revisions of MStimurid