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Sky

This is a rules file for Zillions of Games, a Windows program that will let you play any puzzle or strategy board game you can feed it the rules to. With Zillions-of-Games installed, this rules file will let you play this game against your computer.

Sky

Sky is played on a 10x10 board with 9 unusual, extremely awkward moving leapers. The only other piece used is the Rook, which comes on the board after promotion. All leapers can promote, and are arranged in 2 groups, both with a promotional line leading to the Rook. Each player begins with the 4 weakest leapers, and must quickly try to promote them, defending and attacking along the way! Don't get caught with your hand on your Rook while getting mated by your enemies Antelope's! :)

There are no pawns in Sky! Promotion zone is final 3 ranks (full details below). Leapers play surprisingly well together as an attacking force, and in combination with the Rook, they are often spectacular. I must admit, i was taken by surprise at how well the leapers played, giving the game an amazing amount of complexity, depth and richness of play. Gameplay can get pretty sharp and fast-paced.

Piece Descriptions:

Tripper: (3-3) leaper
Commuter: (4-4) leaper
Threeleaper : (0-3) leaper
Fourleaper: (0-4) leaper
Flamingo: (6-1) leaper
Antelope: (4-3) leaper
Lancer: (4-2) leaper
Root-fifty leaper: (7-1), (5-5) leaper
Fiveleaper: (0-5), (4-3) leaper
Rook: standard rook
King: standard king

Promotional Lines:
There are 2 promotional lines leading to Rook.
1. Tripper -> Threeleaper -> Flamingo -> Lancer -> Fiveleaper -> Rook
2. Commuter -> Fourleaper -> Antelope -> Root-fifty -> Fiveleaper -> Rook

Opening Setup:
Each player starts with 7 Trippers, 4 Commuters, 2 Threeleapers and 2 Fourleapers (Threeleaper on c2 g2 h1, Fourleaper on d1 f1).



Promotion Zone:
White = 8th 9th 10th rank, Black = 1st 2nd 3rd rank.
Any move that ends with a piece standing in promotion zone allows that piece to promote if desired (except Rook which does not promote)

Game Notes:
pretty cool these leapers all playing together

hey, zillions plays this game pretty well, not easy to beat, maybe i'm not used to it yet, we shall see :)

score count for 'should pawns be in the game' - 9-2 against - all leapers voted 'no' rook and pawn voted 'yes' king didn't vote

what piece do i like best. well hmm let me think .. i love the flamingo, and the root-fifty. i like the antelope too. oh yeah and the lancer, 
you got to love the lancer .. and the Fiveleaper because it does have the
antelope jump too. i like all them. and the tripper. love the tripper.

Antelope's Kiss:
The Antelope's Kiss is when the Antelope promotes to a Root-fifty leaper with check. That is to say, after Antelope promotes to Root-fifty leaper, the Root-fifty leaper is giving check to the enemy King. The best example i have seen comes from Zillions vs Zillions, i think either a 5sec/10sec game, when white has just played  30 Threeleaper g2-d2 to prevent black mating with Rook a3 checkmate (note Antelope helps in that mate). Now black has a forced mate in 2, beginning with the 'Antelope's Kiss'!
30 .. Antelope e6-h2 = Root-fifty leaper check!! Mate follows with 31 .. Commuter a10-e6.

below is a screenshot after white played 30 Threeleaper g2-d2.



Of course, there is a 'flamingo's kiss' and 'lancer's kiss' etc, any leaper that promotes with check. i like the 'flamingo's kiss', promoting to lancer, and of course, the 'fiveleaper's kiss', promoting to rook. i think everyone loves that :)

Double/Triple/Spectacular Mates:
i saw zillions vs zillions play a double Antelope mate but didn't save the game! anyone with some interesting screenshots of mates interesting positions or even just patterns etc are welcome to send screenshot/game to me to add here if interesting etc etc shown below, 2 flamingo's and commuter with a nice mate 



........................................................................

Piece Info with Graphics;

 Tripper: 3-3 leaper   
        Promotes to Threeleaper

 Commuter: 4-4 leaper
        Promotes to Fourleaper

 Threeleaper: 3-0 leaper
        Promotes to Flamingo 

 Fourleaper: 4-0 leaper
        Promotes to Antelope
 
 Flamingo: 6-1 leaper
        Promotes to Lancer
 
 Antelope: 4-3 leaper
        Promotes to Root-fifty leaper
 
 Lancer: 4-2 leaper
        Promotes to Fiveleaper
 
 Root-fifty: 7-1, 5-5 leaper
        Promotes to Fiveleaper 

 Fiveleaper: 5-0, 4-3 leaper
        Promotes to Rook
 
........................................................................

first release - submitted to chessvariants site 23 dec 2005
thanks to creators of zillions, zillions site and chessvariants site
thanks to david howe for alfaerie graphics

Game was updated in 2012, this is a screen of the original setup

Download Instructions

Instructions on downloading this Zillions file:

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 Christine Bagley-Jones.

Last revised by H. G. Muller.


Web page created: 2005-12-24. Web page last updated: 2023-02-20

Revisions of MZsky