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This page is written by the game's inventor, Вадря Покштя.

Vivarta Chess

I want to introduce you to the variant of chess that I use to create my fairy chess problems and which is essentially a modification of Parton's Gryphon chess. However, this variation of chess is strikingly different from Parton's Gryphon chess. Paying tribute to the country where chess originated, I used the Sanskrit word Vivarta in the name of this variant of chess as it perfectly conveys what is happening not only on the chessboard but also in our minds during the game. The Sanskrit word vivarta (विवर्त) means alteration, modification, change of form, altered condition or state.

This version of chess is similar to Gryphon chess, but there is no restriction on the simultaneous participation of four knights, four bishops, four rooks or two queens. Moreover there is no queen transformation on the last ranks of the board.

Setup

Standard chess setup.

Rules

The rules are simple. Each piece automatically transforms into a different piece every time it moves.

There is no promotion for pawns on the last rank, no en passant, no castling.

Notes

You can play this variant of chess on evochess.com.

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By Вадря Покштя.

Last revised by Fergus Duniho.


Web page created: 2021-06-13. Web page last updated: 2023-11-16