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This page is written by the game's inventor, Charles Gilman.

Electrum Chess

This variant is derived from my "different-moving usual equipment" variants Goldchess and Silverchess, but is itself not a usual-equipment game. For one thing it requires a 9x9 board and 18 pieces aside, and for another every one of the 9 back-rank pieces moves diffently. the variant takes its name from an alloy of gold and silver, much referred to in Dungeons and Dragons as played in the 1980s. The idea of each player having Gold pieces on their left and Silver ones on their right was influenced by Wildebeest Chess, in which each player has a Queen and Bishops on the left and Gnu (Wildebeest) and Camels on the right.

As with many 9-file 2-player standard and variant games, the latter mostly my own, I have devised a 4-player 125% version of this on a cross of 5 5x5 supersquares.

Thanks to this range of images I have finally managed to select distinctive images for all this page's pieces.

Setup

Pieces

Thanks to this range of images I have finally managed to devise images for all this page's pieces.

FIDE pieces

The KING moves one step in any radial direction and must be kept out of Check.
The PAWN moves one step forward at a time, diagonally if capturing otherwise orthogonally.
Gold pieces:
The GOLDROOK moves any distance through empty intermediate cells in any of the 4 orthogonal directions, or just one step in either of the 2 forward diagonal directions.
The NITAN leaps to any of the 8 cells 2:1 away from it, or the 2 cells 3 ranks ahead on neighbouring files. It cannot be blocked.
The GOLDMITRE moves any distance through empty intermediate cells in either of the 2 forward diagonal directions, or just one step in any of the 4 orthogonal directions.
The GOLDRIDER moves any distance through empty intermediate cells in any of 4 orthogonal and 2 forward diagonal directions.
Silver pieces:
The SILVERWING moves any distance through empty intermediate cells in the forward orthogonal direction, or just one step in any of the 4 diagonal directions.
The CAMAN leaps to any of the 8 cells 3:1 away from it, or the 2 cells 2 ranks ahead on neighbouring files. It cannot be blocked. The image is a pun on cayman.
The SILVERBISHOP moves any distance through empty intermediate cells in the 4 diagonal directions, or just one step in the forward orthogonal direction.
The SILVERIDER moves any distance through empty intermediate cells in the forward orthogonal and 4 diagonal directions.

Rules

Double-step move, En Passant, Check, Checkmate, and Stalemate are as in FIDE Chess.

Castling is allowed only between the King and Goldrook, and follows the same rule as FIDE Queenside Castling.

Pawns are promoted to any of the 4 Gold pieces if they reach the array cell of an enemy Gold piece, any of the 4 Silver pieces if they reach the array cell of an enemy Silver piece, and any of all 8 if they reach the enemy King's array cell.

Notes

I rejected a Pedes inclusive version with a mixture of Goldpawns and Silverpawns, and promotion optional, as equal numbers of both would require a third kind of front-rank piece in front of the King.

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 Charles Gilman.
Web page created: 2006-05-19. Web page last updated: 2016-04-01