Paulowich's Chancellor Chess
Description
This chess variant is played using 30 standard chess pieces and two Chancellors (moving like Rook or Knight). The initial position restores the old Shatranj rule: put the most powerful pieces in the corners. Pawns promote to N, B, R, C, Q of the same color. Note that each player has exactly 3 pieces that can move like a Knight, 3 like a Bishop, 3 like a Rook. There are now 21 possible first moves in the game. Castling rules remain the same for the King, but now involve a Queen or a Chancellor.
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ black
8 ! c !/n/! b !/r/! k !/b/! n !/q/!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 !/p/! p !/p/! p !/p/! p !/p/! p !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 ! !///! !///! !///! !///!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 !///! !///! !///! !///! !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 ! !///! !///! !///! !///!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 !///! !///! !///! !///! !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 ! P !/P/! P !/P/! P !/P/! P !/P/!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 !/C/! N !/B/! R !/K/! B !/N/! Q !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ WHITE
a b c d e f g h
The King's Gambit looks stronger than ever in this variant! If Black
attempts counterplay with d7-d5, he may be in for an unpleasant
surprise. The Queen's Gambit really does sacrifice a Pawn after:
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 b5?!This attempt to hang on to the extra Pawn seems unwise, but White must be prepared to face it. Also we must come up with a new name, as the Queen is no longer located on what was once called the "Queenside".
And now, some general comments concerning my invention. Giving up the second Rook seems a fair price to pay in order to get the Chancellor into the game. After all, the Japanese game of Shogi has only one Rook per player. I hope that the Chancellor has the same value as the Queen, but would not be surprised if it turned out to be worth half a Pawn less. On a larger board, say 10x10, Knights and Chancellors are definitely weaker than Bishops and Queens.
I have prepared a positional bonus table, given below, for inclusion in the EVAL.C files of GNU Chess. I would welcome the free distribution of a new version of GNU Chess capable playing of this variant and others with Chancellors on the board.
/* Chancellor positional bonus */
static const SHORT pchancellor[64] =
{0, 2, 4, 6, 6, 4, 2, 0,
2, 4, 6, 8, 8, 6, 4, 2,
4, 6, 8, 10, 10, 8, 6, 4,
6, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8, 6,
6, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8, 6,
4, 6, 8, 10, 10, 8, 6, 4,
2, 4, 6, 8, 8, 6, 4, 2,
0, 2, 4, 6, 6, 4, 2, 0,};
Next time you are playing an off-hand game, try turning a pair of
Rooks upside down and calling them Chancellors. No special board or
pieces are required ... just the spirit of adventure. One last
thought: some non-European chess variants place the Kings crosswise,
instead of opposite each other. This suggests reversing the order of
the black pieces, resulting in yet another variant:
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ black
8 ! q !/n/! b !/k/! r !/b/! n !/c/!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 !/p/! p !/p/! p !/p/! p !/p/! p !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 ! !///! !///! !///! !///!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 !///! !///! !///! !///! !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 ! !///! !///! !///! !///!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 !///! !///! !///! !///! !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 ! P !/P/! P !/P/! P !/P/! P !/P/!
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 !/C/! N !/B/! R !/K/! B !/N/! Q !
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ WHITE
a b c d e f g h
King's Leap Chess
How often do you play O-O-O in FIDE chess? My Chancellor Chess variant
makes O-O-O even less likely - with that Rook blocking the way. This
limitation on play has bothered me since the beginning, Besides, a
double King move, followed by a piece hopping over the King, makes
castling a triple move in the rules of chess. I finally decided to
replace the castling rule with the old KING'S LEAP RULE:
The King's first move in the game may also be a Dabbaba leap to an
empty square (c1, e3, g1 for the WHITE King). The King cannot be in
check at the start or the end of a King's Leap (usual restriction).
Allow the King to leap over a square occupied by a friendly piece.
Do not allow the King to leap over a square that is occupied by a
hostile piece, or under attack by a hostile piece.
Perhaps I should point out that King's Leap Chess still includes the
modern rules of initial double Pawn advance and en passant capture.
__ copyright (c) 1997,1998,1999 __
/ o\-- --/o \
\ \/ by David Paulowich \/ /
/ \ / \
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Written by David Paulowich.
WWW page created: August 18, 1997. Last modified: April 6, 1999.