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Icon Clearinghouse 4

In this section, I'll go through the many variations that have been applied to orthodox pieces, such as additional powers, tweaks to the moves, and so forth.

Note that these are subject to all of the same rules and guidelines as Part One, including finding the graphics themselves at /membergraphics/MSiconclearinghouse/ (not the counterpart for this page!).

Pieces

Though there's no shortage of pieces that fit this category, there's quite a shortage of special icons. These are the ones I've been able to find.

Simple Rotations

The most fundamental way to change an icon is to rotate it. Part 1 shows the orthodox pieces (and some others) turned upside-down; here are some other rotations.

Simple Rotations
  King Queen Bishop Knight Rook Pawn
45 CW

king45cw

queen45cw

bishop45cw

knight45cw

rook45cw

pawn45cw

90 CW

king90cw

queen90cw

bishop90cw

knight90cw

rook90cw

pawn90cw

135 CW

king135cw

queen135cw

bishop135cw

knight135cw

rook135cw

pawn135cw

135 CCW

king135ccw

queen135ccw

bishop135ccw

knight135ccw

rook135ccw

pawn135ccw

90 CCW

king90ccw

queen90ccw

bishop90ccw

knight90ccw

rook90ccw

pawn90ccw

45 CCW

king45ccw

queen45ccw

bishop45ccw

knight45ccw

rook45ccw

pawn45ccw

While these exist mostly to fill in where no other icon seems to work -- and improvising with them is certainly the most common practice -- a few patterns have emerged. For example, the 90-degree counterclockwise (90 CCW) icons are sometimes used to represent the "cannon" version of a slider (even though dedicated icons for such pieces do exist).

Royal Variants

Sometimes a piece other than a King is Royal.

Royal Variants
Bishop Knight Rook Pawn

royalbishop

royalknight

royalrook

royalpawn

The Royal Knight is also known as Equus Rex (with various other spellings for "Equus"), or just Rex.

Enhanced Queens

Some of the best-known pieces in this category move like Queens, but have some unusual property, either instead of capturing or as an unusual way to capture.

Enhanced Queens
Advancer
(mQ[cQ-mbK])
Edgehog
(Q + special)

Immobilizer (mQ)
spell=freeze

Long Leaper Withdrawer
(mQ[cK-mbQ])

ram

edgehog

immobilizer

immobilizerc

longleaper

longleaperc

withdrawer

withdrawerc

The Edghog moves like a Queen, but must begin or end its move on an edge square. (At the time of this writing, there's no XBetza code for that.)

Altered Sliders

There are several ways to alter a slide.

Altered Sliders
  Queen Bishop Rook
Crooked
(zX)
No icon
found

crookedbishop

crookedrook

Cylinder
(oX)

cylqueen

cylbishop

cylrook

Reflecting N/A

reflectingbishop

N/A*

Ski**
(jX)

ski-queenc

ski-bishopc

ski-rookc

Slip

slipqueen

slipqueen2

slipbishop

sliprook

Where a move is shown in the leftmost column, replace the X with the piece's initial (Q, B, or R).

*Reflecting Rook is meaningless, since reflecting orthogonally off the edge just sends the piece back in the same direction.

**Also see the "inverted" icons of each piece, found in Part One. Only Jean-Louis Cazaux actually labels them as Ski pieces, which is why they're there now.

Altered Knights

Knights, too, have their variations.

Altered Knights
Narrow (vN) Wide (sN) Left (hlNlW) Right (hrNrW)

narrowknight

wideknight

nwseknight

neswknight

Short Pieces

These are pieces that move like a Queen, Bishop, or Rook, but only for a limited distance.

Half-Movers

These pieces are typically limited to half the usual distance -- that is, half the number of squares on the board (on a standard board, that's 4).

Half Movers
Half Queen (Q4) Half Bishop (B4) Half Rook (R4) Half Cardinal (B4N)

halfqueen

halflingqueen

halfbishop

halflingbishop

halfrook

halflingrook

halflingcardinal

Besides "Half" and "Halfling," these may also be called "Short."

By Other Names

Though their names and icons aren't (necessarily) based on these three pieces, they function as shortened versions.

Some of these pieces are featured in other sections, but also belong here.

Other-Named Short Movers
Queen Seeress (Q2) Bodyguard (Q2)* Lion Dog (Q3) Heavenly Tetrarch (Q4)

seeress

bodyguard

No icon found No icon found
Bishop Flying Dragon (B2) Bishop's Dog (B3) None found

dragonx

No icon found  
Rook Violent Ox (R2) Tower (R3) Chariot (R4)

ox

tower

chariot

chariotc

The Flying Dragon may also be called a Nun; the Violent Ox may also be a Hut.

*The Bodyguard normally has a Hia power, freezing any slider that enters an adjacent space (spell=freeze).

Riders & Roses

Riders are those pieces that take a leaping move, and continue in a straight line. Some take a single leap, others more than one, and a few mix leap-riding with stepping or sliding.

Single-Leap Riders
Alfilrider (AA) Dabbabahrider
(DD)
Nightrider
(NN)
Camelrider
(CC)
Zebrarider
(ZZ)
Girafferider
(FXFX)

elephantrider

warmachinerider

nightrider

nightriderc

nightriderd

camelrider

zebrarider

girafferider

Multi-Leap Riders
Squirrelrider
(DDNNAA)

squirrelrider

Compound Riders
Cardinalrider
(BNN)
Chancellorrider
(RNN)
Amazonrider
(QNN)
Alibabarider
(AADD)

cardinalrider

camelrider

camelrider

elephantwarmachinerider

Elephantrider-
Ferz (AAF)
Elephantrider-
Wazir (AAW)
Machinerider-
Ferz (DDF)
Machinerider-
Wazir (DDW)

elephantriderferz

elephantriderwazir

warmachineriderferz

warmachineriderwazir

Dayrider
(KAADD)
Moonrider
(ZNN)
Bishop-Machinerider
(BDD)
 

dayrider

moonrider

bishopwarmachinerider

 

Roses also have repeated leap moves, but in a circle, with a turn of 45 degrees after each leap.

Roses
Rose (qN) Camelrose (qC) Zebrose (qZ) Rose Queen (QqN)

rose

camelrose

zebrose

rosequeen

 

Something Else

 

Then there are icons that, while based on the orthodox, pieces, seem to represent something else, though it's not necessarily clear what. (That may or may not be intentional.)

This first set is used in Actualized Potential Chess (which does not have a page, as such, on this site) and similar games. In that game, "Potential" is an element of promotion rules; the icons can, of course, be used for any other purpose.

Actualized Potential
  Actualized
Potential
Double
Actualized
Potential
Queen

actualizedpotentialqueen

doubleactualizedpotentialqueen

Bishop

actualizedpotentialbishop

doubleactualizedpotentialbishop
Knight

actualizedpotentialknight

doubleactualizedpotentialknight

Rook

actualizedpotentialrook

doubleactualizedpotentialknight

Pawn No icon

doubleactualizedpotentialpawn

Guard No icon

doubleactualizedpotentialguard

Ferz

actualizedpotentialferz

doubleactualizedpotentialferz

Wazir

actualizedpotentialwazir

doubleactualizedpotentialwazir

Alfil

actualizedpotentialelephant

doubleactualizedpotentialelephant

Dabbabah

actualizedpotentialdabbaba

doubleactualizeddabbaba

Others
Cavalry Desert Ferz
(mFcafm(acafm)3F)
Desert Wazir
(mWcafm(acafm)3W)
Dire Knight Draft Horse Duca Queen Grand Rook
(RpR)

cavalry

desertferz

desertwazir

direknight

drafthorse2

ducaqueen

grandrook

Pawns

There are many kinds of pawns used in many chess variants, and there's no reason that all pawns in a game have to be the same.

Different takes on the Standard Pawn are above; these are mainly variations of the Alfaerie version of that.

Common Pawns

Berolina Pawn
(fmFfceWifnmA)

Sergeant
(fKimfnD)

Chinese Pawn
(fW)

Fish Pawn
(vmWfceFifnmD)
Horse Pawn
(ffN)
Mongolian Pawn
(fmWfcFifmW3)
Piglet Pawn
(fFbmFbmWifA)

Quick Pawn
(fmW2fcF)

Shogi Pawn
(fW)

Weak Pawn
(fcWfcF)

berolinapawn

berolinac

sergeant

chinesepawn

fish

knightpawn

mongolianpawn

pigletpawn

quickpawn

shogipawn

weakpawn

These may or may not actually be "common," but they don't stray too far from the basic principles of the Pawn. Those that do have moves well outside what pawns normally can do are (what I call) Enhanced Pawns.

Enhanced Pawns

Arrow Pawn
(mW2cF)

Lance Pawn
(ffNmfsN)

Luna Pawn
(mvWcfFcffC)
Moose Pawn
(fcWfmeFmfsNmfsCifnmD)
Scorpion Pawn
(fmWfceFmfsNifnmD)

arrowpawn

lancepawn

lunapawn

moosepawn

scorpionpawn

These Pawns have extra, more powerful moves, but they can only promote if they reach the promotion zone using the pawn moves.

Compound Pawns
Troll
(G'H'mfWcfFimnfD)
Bishop-Pawn
(B4'mfWcfFimnfD)
Knight-Pawn
(N'mfWcfFimnfD)
Rook-Pawn
(R4'mfWcfFimnfD)
Camel-Pawn
(C'mfWcfFimnfD)
Cannon Pawn
(mR'cpR'fmWcfFimnfD)

troll

bishoppawn

pawnknight

rookpawn

camelpawn

cannonpawn

(Most of these icons are intended as Pawns that simply promote to the specified piece; this "repurposing" makes a good excuse to post them.)

Then there are Pawns with abilities far different from what Pawns normally have.

Truly Weird Pawns
Shield Pawn
(ifmnDfmWsceWfmpafabcuW)
spell=brake
Zombie Pawn
(fFfWbmW)
contagious

shieldpawn

pawnu

Linebacker Pawn
(
mfhKifmnDifmnAmpfhafmufafcbKimpfhampafmufafcbK)

linebackerpawn

Notes

More than any other part of this, if you find, make, or otherwise know of any icon for a piece -- especially those marked as "not found" -- please let me know.



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: 2023-12-08. Web page last updated: 2023-12-08