Revisions

The game requires a board with 19 ranks and 25 files.
Each player has 46 pieces and 2 x 5 spiders on top - a total of 56 pieces.

Spiders have their bases in the corners of the board - 5 spiders in each corner.
Only the spiders can return to the bases once they have left them - to their own or to opposing ones; if opposing spiders are gathered in a corner, they can fight each other.

Other pieces on the inner playing area cannot reach the spider bases. Own bases are therefore a 'safe harbor' for them.

Setup

Pieces

Rules

There is no capturing en passant and no castling. Promotion of pawns takes place.
Bare king loses.
Stalemate is a win.
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The pawn moves one, two or three squares forward and captures opposing pieces. Diagonally, the pawn can move one square forward without capturing. It does not jump over pieces.

The cardinalrider is a hybrid piece of knightrider and bishop.
(The knightrider can perform the move of a knight once or several times in sequence. A piece on a target square cannot be jumped over.)

Notes

Play it !

Spider Chess

files=25 ranks=19 promoZone=1 promoChoice=RQACZACC graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/alfaeriePNG/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=png stalemate=win baring=0 royal=K hole::::h1,i1,j1,p1.q1.r1.g2,h2,i2,q2,r2,s2,f3,g3,h3,r3,s3,t3,e4,f4,g4,s4,t4,u4,d5,e5,f5,t5,u5,v5,c6,d6,e6,u6,v6,w6,b7,c7,d7,v7,w7,x7,a8,b8,c8,w8,x8,y8,a9,b9,x9,y9,a10,y10,a11,b11,x11,y11,a12,b12,c12,w12,x12,y12,b13,c13,d13,v13,w13,x13,c14,d14,e14,u14,v14,w14,d15,e15,f15,t15,u15,v15,e16,f16,g16,s16,t16,u16,f17,g17,h17,r17,s17,t17,g18,h18,i18,q18,q19,r19,j19,p19,r18,s18,h19,i19,j19,p19,q19,r19 pawn:P:fWfnDfnHfmF:pawn:k2,l2,m2,n2,o2,j3,k3,o3,p3,i4,j4,p4,q4,h5,i5,q5,r5,g6,h6,r6,s6,f7,g7,s7,t7,e8,f8,t8,u8,,e12,f12,t12 rook:R:R:rook:k1,o1,,k19,o19 queen:Q:Q:queen:l1,n1,,l19,n19 archbishop:A:BN:cardinal:g5,s5,,g15,s15 chancellor:C:RN:chancellor:f6,t6,,f14,t14 amazon:Z:QN:amazon:e7,u7,,e13,u13 amazonrider:I:QNN:amazonrider:j2,p2,,j18,p18 cardinalrider:J:BNN:cardinalrider:h4,r4,,h16,r16 chancellorrider:L:RNN:chancellorrider:i3,q3,,i17,q17 spider:S:RNNA7:spider:f2,t2,e3,u3,d4,v4,c5,w5,b6,x6,,b14,x14,c15,w15,d16,v16,e17,u17,f18,t18 king:K:K:king:m1,,m19

Comments

Spider-Chess.

Beware of spiders. (25x19, Cells: 369)

🔔Notification on Thu, Aug 22 01:36 PM EDT:

The editor Bn Em has revised this page.

💡📝Gerd Degens wrote on Wed, Jun 19 02:17 AM EDT in reply to Bn Em from Mon Jun 17 08:09 PM:

After looking at the alphabetical index, I could not find a name conflict, so I chose this name.
As far as the textual description of the spider is concerned, I have added it - I hope I have done it well.

Bn Em wrote on Mon, Jun 17 08:09 PM EDT:

Besides the noted name conflict (in fairness hard to spot, as Haru's game of the same name (hyphen aside) is effectively a footnote to the main game described on the linked page), it'd be good to have a textual description of the Spider's move, besides the diagram.

I wonder a little bit about having so many of such a powerful piece in terms of potential decisiveness concerns

@Haru: Spider XQ may well be a more appropriate/specific name for your game in any case ;‌) Esp. with Qu'erquesite XQ alongside it

Bob Greenwade wrote on Thu, Apr 11 10:18 AM EDT in reply to HaruN Y from 08:35 AM:

"Spider-Chess! Spider-Chess!
"Does whatever a..." OK, never mind.

I think the name's fine, if you don't mind twerps like me making connections like that.

HaruN Y wrote on Thu, Apr 11 08:35 AM EDT:

I once named my chess variant Spider Chess. Should I rename it to Spider XiangQi?

Spider-Chess

By Gerd P. Degens