Ultra Grand Cavalier Chess with Zebra-Queen
The idea for this game started as an homage for Fergus Duniho's Grand Cavalier chess. The name of this game includes besides the part that evokes the original Grand Cavalier chess, the name of the most powerful piece in the game- the Zebra-Queen. A twin game with this one exists featuring a Camel-Queen. I have invested a little bit of though in the game and I'm afraid the game ended up being quite different from the original. I wanted to have an Grand Cavalier chess game expanded to (initially) 12x12 board. But as piece lines in the initial position are not ok when adjacent to each other I needed white's cavaliers (the pawns of this game) on rank 5. So the game ended up being designed for a 14x14 board.
One thing I have changed is the movement of the cavaliers (the pawns). Instead of the chinese horse the cavaliers now move only forward as the chinese horse. Then they are split in two types receiving either the sideways and back wazir moves, either the back half of the ferz. This was done because I don't like the idea of pawns protecting each other. The next thing I have changed are the moves of the paladin and Marshall. They now may move knightwiselly up to twice in the same direction. The Nightrider also receives a buff. But opposed to the queen it receives Camel buff.
Moreover I have added new pieces. As I like bend riders a lot I have added two of those, each of them having a leaping enhancement, as all the pieces I have mentioned so far: a wazir-then-bishop+camel and an B2-then-rook+knight. Finally I have added three, probably minor, pieces: the assassin-ZFX and the ninja-HWXNY filling the role of pieces which (resembling the role of the knight in orthodox chess) are there to deliver powerful and surprising forks and the mammoth KADmHmG. The later has the just move enhancements because it would otherwise be quite slow.
Setup
files=14 ranks=14 promoZone=4 promoChoice=!H!LTXYSJQ2G2M2A2N2C2 maxPromote=2 graphicsDir=https://www.chessvariants.com/cgi-bin/fen2.php?s=33&l=FFFF44&d=0000AA&w=FFFF44&b=0000AA&p= whitePrefix=w blackPrefix=b graphicsType=gif squareSize=38 lightShade=#FFFFFF darkShade=#660000 oddShade=#008800 whitePrefix=w blackPrefix=b graphicsType= symmetry=mirror useMarkers=1 borders=0 captureMatrix=///////////13$.=/12$$.=/ hussar:H:fafsWraflWlafrWsbW:wideknight:c5,e5,g5,h5,j5,l5,f3,i3,,c10,e10,g10,h10,j10,l10,f12,i12 lancer:L:fafsWraflWlafrWbF:narrowknight:b5,d5,f5,i5,k5,m5,d3,k3,,b10,d10,f10,i10,k10,m10,d12,k12 equesrex:K:KN:king--knight:h1,,h14 queen:Q:ZQ:zebra--queen:g1,,g14 manticore:M:WyasfWC:lion:i1,,i14 gryphon:G:NB2afyasfF:gryphon:f1,,f14 paladin:A:BN2:cardinal:e1,j1,,e14,j14 nightrider:N:NNC:camel--nightrider:d1,k1,,d14,,k14 marshall:C:RN2:chancellor:c1,l1,,c14,l14 assasin:S:ZFX:diplomat:g3,h3,,g12,h12 ninja:J:HWXNY:cardinal1:e3,j3,,e12,j12 lightcannon:X:mRcpR:cannon--warmachine:a4,n4,,a11,n11 heavycannon:Y:pRpafcpR:cannon--greatwarmachineferz:a2,n2,,a13,n13 mammoth:T:KADmHmG:mammoth:c3,l3,,c12,l12 royal=3
Pieces
The pieces in the interactive diagram in the above chapter are movable. You may also play against the interactive diagram's AI but it is quite slow on this variant with such a large number of possible moves. Here is a detailed description of how each piece moves:
The Eques Rex is the royal piece of the game and it has besides the regular king moves knight moves. It does not castle.
The hussar moves forward like a chinese horse or step orthogonal sideways or backwards.
The lancer moves forward like a chinese horse or step diagonally backwards.
The zebra-queen moves like a zebra or a queen.
The camel-nighttrider moves as a camel or a nightrider.
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By Aurelian Florea.
Last revised by Aurelian Florea.
Web page created: 2024-05-23. Web page last updated: 2024-05-23