Gamma2 Chess

This page contains one or more presets for playing a game online with Game Courier, an online server for playing Chess variants by correspondence.

Gamma2 Chess is chess on a 10x8 board with Berolina Pawns and special Ship and Archer pieces. Below is a link to play on Game Courier.

Setup

Rules

Berolina pawns can only move forward. When a Berolina pawn makes a non-capturing move, it goes one square diagonally forwards. When a Berolina pawn is still on its original square on the second row, it can make a non-capturing move diagonally forwards of one or of two squares - if it moves two squares, the first square must be empty. A pawn captures one square vertically forwards. When a Berolina pawn has moved two squares forwards, the opponent has the possibility to take it en passant: in the directly following turn a (Berolina) pawn of the opponent may take it also on the square that was passed by. When a Berolina pawn reaches a promotion square, that is, a square on the last row of the board at the opponents side, it promotes. The owner of the Berolina pawn may decide to which piece the pawn promotes, which can be any piece type in the setup except for a king.

The Ship in this game is a novel compound piece that moves like a cannon (i.e. which moves as a rook but must hop over an intervening piece to capture) or like a guard (i.e. which moves to any adjacent square). The Archer in this game is a novel compound piece that moves like a vao (i.e. which moves like a bishop but must hop over an intervening piece to capture) or like a guard.

Castling is as in standard chess, except a king goes three squares sideways during the process (instead of two squares). Threefold repetition of position or stalemate is a draw as in chess, and similarly the 50 move rule is also in effect in Gamma2 Chess (i.e. game drawn if no captures or [Berolina] pawn moves before 50 consecutive moves by both sides).

Last revised by Kevin Pacey.