Fairy chess piece
Encyclopedia
A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece
. It is not used in conventional chess
, but is used in certain chess variant
s and some chess problems
. These pieces vary in the way they move and possibly in additional properties.
Because of the distributed and uncoordinated nature of unorthodox chess development, often the same piece is referred to by different names or the same name is used for different pieces in various contexts (chess problems, various chess variants).
A specialized solving program, WinChloe, recognizes more than 1200 different fairy pieces.
is the (1,2)-leaper.
The leaper's move cannot be blocked; it "leaps" over any intervening pieces, like the knight in standard chess.
In shatranj
, a forerunner to chess, the pieces later replaced by the bishop
and queen
were also leapers: the alfil was a (2,2)-leaper (moving exactly two squares diagonally in any direction), and the fers a (1,1)-leaper (moving exactly one square diagonally in any direction).
Some pieces can be described as combined leapers, i.e. as pieces having the movement capabilities of multiple leapers. The king
in orthodox chess (ignoring check restrictions) is an example of a combination of a (1,1)-leaper and a (1,0)-leaper.
Leapers are not able to create pin
s, although they are often effective fork
ing pieces. One additional property is that the check of a leaper cannot be parried by interposing.
All orthodox chessmen except the pawn are either leapers or riders, although the Rook does 'hop' when it castles.
The Wazir is a (1,0)-leaper (an "orthogonal" one-square leaper); the Fers is a (1,1)-leaper (a "diagonal" one-square leaper). Both are used in Muslim versions of chess. The King of standard chess combines the two.
The Dabbaba is a (2,0)-leaper; the Alfil is a (2,2)-leaper; the Knight is a (1,2)-leaper. The Alibaba combines the Dabbaba and Alfil; while the Squirrel can move to any square 2 units away. The Arabic word dabbāba
formerly meant a type of medieval siege engine
, and nowadays means "army tank
".
The 'level-3' leapers are the Threeleaper, a (3,0)-leaper; the Tripper, a (3,3)-leaper; the Camel, a (1,3)-leaper; and the Zebra, a (2,3)-leaper.
An amphibian is a combined leaper with a larger range on the board than its components. The simplest amphibian is the Frog, a (1,1)-(0,3)-leaper.
There are three riders in orthodox chess: the rook
can move an unlimited number of (1,0) cells and is therefore a (1,0)-rider; the bishop is a (1,1)-rider; and the queen is a (1,1)- or (1,0)-rider.
One of the most popular fairy chess riders is the nightrider, which can make an unlimited number of knight moves (that is, (2,1) cells) in any direction (though, like other riders, it cannot change direction half-way through its move).
Sliders are a noteworthy special case of riders which can only move between geometrically contiguous cells. All of the riders in orthodox chess are examples of sliders.
The names of riders are often obtained by taking the name of a leaper which moves a similar cell-size and adding the suffix "rider". For example, the zebra is a (3,2)-leaper, and the zebrarider is a (3,2)-rider.
Riders can create both pin
s and skewer
s.
There are no hoppers in Western chess, although in xiangqi
, the cannon captures as a hopper (when not capturing, it is a rider which can not capture).
The most popular hopper in fairy chess is the grasshopper, which moves along the same lines as an orthodox queen, except that it must hop over some other piece and land on the square immediately beyond it.
, the Chinese form of chess. The most common Chinese pieces are the leo, pao and vao (each of which are derived from the Chinese cannon) and the mao (derived from the horse). Those derived from the cannon are distinguished by moving as a leaper when capturing, but otherwise moving as a rider. Less frequently encountered Chinese pieces include the moa, nao and rao.
The format (not including grouping) is: <conditions> <move type> <distance> <direction> <other>
On this basis, the traditional chess moves are:
Capital letters stand for basic pieces and components, besides the standard abbreviation for the chess pieces (R, N, B, Q, and K) the following letters are used: Wazir, Ferz, Alfil, Dabbaba, H (0,3)-leaper, Long Leaper (CameL), J (2,3)-leaper (Giraffe), and G (3,3)-leaper. Riders are denoted by duplication of the letter, e.g., NN is the funny notation for the nightrider piece; restricted range is denoted by a digit after the letter, e.g., R4 is a rook restricted to at most 4 steps.
Small letters in front of the capital letters denote modifications of the component. Often used modifiers are: forward, backward, right, left, sideward, vertical, move only, capture only, z crooked (moving in a zigzag line like the Boyscout), grasshopper, jumping (i.e., it must jump, cannot move without a hurdle), non-jumping like the Chinese Elefant, o cylindrical, pao (like the Chinese Cannon captures), and q circular movement (like the Rose).
In addition, Betza has also suggested adding brackets to his notation: q[ WF] q[ FW] would be a circular king, which can move from e4 to f5 then g5, h4, h3, g2, f2, e3, and back to e4, effectively passing a turn.
Example: The standard chess pawn can be described in Ralph Betza's funny notation as mfWcfF (ignoring the initial double move).
There is no standard order of the components and modifiers. In fact, Betza often plays with the order to create somehow pronouncable piece names and artistic word play.
Chess piece
Chess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
. It is not used in conventional chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, but is used in certain chess variant
Chess variant
A chess variant is a game related to, derived from or inspired by chess. The difference from chess might include one or more of the following:...
s and some chess problems
Fairy chess
Fairy chess comprises chess problems that differ from classical chess problems in that they are not direct mates. The term was introduced before the First World War. While selfmate dates from the Middle Age, helpmate was invented by Max Lange in the late 19th century. Thomas Dawson , pioneer of...
. These pieces vary in the way they move and possibly in additional properties.
Because of the distributed and uncoordinated nature of unorthodox chess development, often the same piece is referred to by different names or the same name is used for different pieces in various contexts (chess problems, various chess variants).
Classification
Fairy chess pieces usually fall into one of three classes, although some are hybrid pieces. Some types of pieces are created by combining the movement powers of two or more different pieces.A specialized solving program, WinChloe, recognizes more than 1200 different fairy pieces.
Leapers
An (m,n)-leaper is a piece that moves by a fixed type of vector between its start square and its arrival square. One of the coordinates of the vector 'start square - arrival square' must have an absolute value equal to m and the other one an absolute value equal to n. A leaper moves in the same way whether or not it captures, the taken unit being on the arrival square. For instance, the knightKnight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
is the (1,2)-leaper.
The leaper's move cannot be blocked; it "leaps" over any intervening pieces, like the knight in standard chess.
In shatranj
Shatranj
Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:...
, a forerunner to chess, the pieces later replaced by the bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
and queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
were also leapers: the alfil was a (2,2)-leaper (moving exactly two squares diagonally in any direction), and the fers a (1,1)-leaper (moving exactly one square diagonally in any direction).
Some pieces can be described as combined leapers, i.e. as pieces having the movement capabilities of multiple leapers. The king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
in orthodox chess (ignoring check restrictions) is an example of a combination of a (1,1)-leaper and a (1,0)-leaper.
Leapers are not able to create pin
Pin (chess)
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece...
s, although they are often effective fork
Fork (chess)
In chess, a fork is a tactic that uses a single piece to attack multiple pieces at the same time. The attacker usually hopes to gain material by capturing one of the opponent's pieces. The defender often finds himself in a difficult position in which he cannot counter all threats. The attacking...
ing pieces. One additional property is that the check of a leaper cannot be parried by interposing.
All orthodox chessmen except the pawn are either leapers or riders, although the Rook does 'hop' when it castles.
The Wazir is a (1,0)-leaper (an "orthogonal" one-square leaper); the Fers is a (1,1)-leaper (a "diagonal" one-square leaper). Both are used in Muslim versions of chess. The King of standard chess combines the two.
The Dabbaba is a (2,0)-leaper; the Alfil is a (2,2)-leaper; the Knight is a (1,2)-leaper. The Alibaba combines the Dabbaba and Alfil; while the Squirrel can move to any square 2 units away. The Arabic word dabbāba
Dabbaba
Dabbāba can mean:*Modern Arabic for tank *Older Arabic for a type of medieval siege engine designed to shelter men who are digging a hole in enemy fortifications *A type of fairy chess piece...
formerly meant a type of medieval siege engine
Siege engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and...
, and nowadays means "army tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
".
The 'level-3' leapers are the Threeleaper, a (3,0)-leaper; the Tripper, a (3,3)-leaper; the Camel, a (1,3)-leaper; and the Zebra, a (2,3)-leaper.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | Wazir | Dabbaba | Threeleaper |
| 1 | Wazir | Fers | Knight | Camel |
| 2 | Dabbaba | Knight | Alfil | Zebra |
| 3 | Threeleaper | Camel | Zebra | Tripper |
An amphibian is a combined leaper with a larger range on the board than its components. The simplest amphibian is the Frog, a (1,1)-(0,3)-leaper.
Riders
A rider is a piece that can move an unlimited distance in one direction, provided there are no pieces in the way.There are three riders in orthodox chess: the rook
Rook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
can move an unlimited number of (1,0) cells and is therefore a (1,0)-rider; the bishop is a (1,1)-rider; and the queen is a (1,1)- or (1,0)-rider.
One of the most popular fairy chess riders is the nightrider, which can make an unlimited number of knight moves (that is, (2,1) cells) in any direction (though, like other riders, it cannot change direction half-way through its move).
Sliders are a noteworthy special case of riders which can only move between geometrically contiguous cells. All of the riders in orthodox chess are examples of sliders.
The names of riders are often obtained by taking the name of a leaper which moves a similar cell-size and adding the suffix "rider". For example, the zebra is a (3,2)-leaper, and the zebrarider is a (3,2)-rider.
Riders can create both pin
Pin (chess)
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece...
s and skewer
Skewer (chess)
In chess, a skewer is an attack upon two pieces in a line and is similar to a pin. In fact, a skewer is sometimes described as a "reverse pin"; the difference is that in a skewer, the more valuable piece is in front of the piece of lesser or equal value...
s.
Hoppers
A hopper is a piece which moves by jumping over another piece (called a hurdle). The hurdle can usually be any piece of any color. Unless it can jump over a piece, a hopper cannot move. Note that hoppers generally capture by taking the piece on the destination square, not by taking the hurdle (as is the case in checkers). The exceptions are called locusts.There are no hoppers in Western chess, although in xiangqi
Xiangqi
Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China...
, the cannon captures as a hopper (when not capturing, it is a rider which can not capture).
The most popular hopper in fairy chess is the grasshopper, which moves along the same lines as an orthodox queen, except that it must hop over some other piece and land on the square immediately beyond it.
Locusts
A locust is any piece which captures by hopping over its victim (as in checkers). It is sometimes considered a type of hopper.Marine Piece
A marine piece is a combination piece consisting of a rider (for ordinary moves) and a locust (for captures) in the same directions. Marine pieces have names alluding to the sea and its myths, e.g., nereïde (marine bishop), triton (marine rook), mermaid (marine queen), or poseidon (marine king).Games
Some classes of pieces come from a certain game; often these have a common set of characteristics.Chinese pieces
Chinese pieces are pieces derived from those found in xiangqiXiangqi
Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China...
, the Chinese form of chess. The most common Chinese pieces are the leo, pao and vao (each of which are derived from the Chinese cannon) and the mao (derived from the horse). Those derived from the cannon are distinguished by moving as a leaper when capturing, but otherwise moving as a rider. Less frequently encountered Chinese pieces include the moa, nao and rao.
Royal pieces
A royal piece is one which must not be allowed to be captured. If a royal piece is threatened with capture and cannot avoid capture next move, then the game is lost (this is "checkmate"). In orthodox chess, each side has one royal piece, the king. In fairy chess any other orthodox piece or fairy piece may instead be designated royal, there may be more than one royal piece, or there may be no royal pieces at all (in which case the aim of the game must be something other than to deliver checkmate, such as capturing all of the opponent's pieces).Xed pieces
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Crowned pieces | Any piece which, in addition to its normal powers, can move like a King. |
| Knighted piece | Any piece which, in addition to its normal powers, can move like a knight. For example, an amazon is a knighted queen. |
Parlett's movement notation
In his book The Oxford History of Board Games David Parlett used a notation to describe fairy piece movements. The move is specified by an expression of the form m={expression}, where m stands for "move", and the expression is composed from the following elements:- Distance (numbers, n)
- 1 - a distance of one (i.e. to adjacent square)
- 2 - a distance of two
- n - any distance in the given direction
- Direction (punctuation, X)
- * - orthogonally or diagonally (all eight possible directions)
- + - orthogonally (four possible directions)
- > - orthogonally forwards
- < - orthogonally backwards
- <> - orthogonally forwards and backwards
- = - orthogonally sideways (used here instead of Parlett's divide symbol.)
- >= - orthogonally forwards or sideways
- <= - orthogonally backwards or sideways
- X - diagonally (four possible directions)
- X> - diagonally forwards
- X< - diagonally backwards
- Grouping
- / - two orthogonal moves separated by a slashSlash (punctuation)The slash is a sign used as a punctuation mark and for various other purposes. It is now often called a forward slash , and many other alternative names.-History:...
denote a hippogonalHippogonalA hippogonal chess move is one similar to a knight's move. That is, a leap m squares in one of the orthogonal directions, and n squares in the other, for integer values of m and n. It need not be a 2:1 ratio for m and n...
move (i.e. jumping like knights) - & - repeated movement in the same direction, such as for hippogonal riders (i.e. the nightrider)
- / - two orthogonal moves separated by a slash
Additions to Parlett's
The following can be added to Parlett's to make it more complete:- Conditions under which the move may occur (lowercase alphanumeric, except n)
- (default) - May occur at any point in the game
- i - May only be made on the initial move (e.g. pawn's 2 moves forward)
- c - May only be made on a capture (e.g. pawn's diagonal capture)
- o - May not be used for a capture (e.g. pawn's forward move)
- Move type
- (default) - Captures by landing on the piece; blocked by intermediate pieces
- ~ - Leaper (leaps)
- ^ - Locust (captures by leaping; implies leaper)
- Grouping (punctuation)
- / - two orthogonal moves separated by a slashSlash (punctuation)The slash is a sign used as a punctuation mark and for various other purposes. It is now often called a forward slash , and many other alternative names.-History:...
denote a hippogonalHippogonalA hippogonal chess move is one similar to a knight's move. That is, a leap m squares in one of the orthogonal directions, and n squares in the other, for integer values of m and n. It need not be a 2:1 ratio for m and n...
move (i.e. jumping like knights); this is in Parlett's, but is repeated here for completeness - , (comma) - separates move options; only one of the comma-delimited options may be chosen per move
- - grouping operator; see nightrider
- - - range operator
- / - two orthogonal moves separated by a slash
The format (not including grouping) is: <conditions> <move type> <distance> <direction> <other>
On this basis, the traditional chess moves are:
- King: 1*
- Queen: n*
- Bishop: nX
- Rook: n+
- Pawn: o1>, c1X>, oi2>
- Knight: ~1/2
Ralph Betza's "funny notation"
Ralph Betza created a classification scheme for fairy chess pieces (including standard chess pieces) in terms of the moves of basic pieces with modifiers.Capital letters stand for basic pieces and components, besides the standard abbreviation for the chess pieces (R, N, B, Q, and K) the following letters are used: Wazir, Ferz, Alfil, Dabbaba, H (0,3)-leaper, Long Leaper (CameL), J (2,3)-leaper (Giraffe), and G (3,3)-leaper. Riders are denoted by duplication of the letter, e.g., NN is the funny notation for the nightrider piece; restricted range is denoted by a digit after the letter, e.g., R4 is a rook restricted to at most 4 steps.
Small letters in front of the capital letters denote modifications of the component. Often used modifiers are: forward, backward, right, left, sideward, vertical, move only, capture only, z crooked (moving in a zigzag line like the Boyscout), grasshopper, jumping (i.e., it must jump, cannot move without a hurdle), non-jumping like the Chinese Elefant, o cylindrical, pao (like the Chinese Cannon captures), and q circular movement (like the Rose).
In addition, Betza has also suggested adding brackets to his notation: q
Example: The standard chess pawn can be described in Ralph Betza's funny notation as mfWcfF (ignoring the initial double move).
There is no standard order of the components and modifiers. In fact, Betza often plays with the order to create somehow pronouncable piece names and artistic word play.
Addition to Betza's
Betza does not use the small letter i. It is used here for initial in the description of the different types of pawns.Notable examples
| Name | Parlett | Betza | Found in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfil | ~2X | A | Shatranj Shatranj Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:... |
A (2,2)-leaper. Compare to Elephant. Alternate notation: ~2/2 |
| Alibaba | ~2* | AD | Fairy Chess Problems | Combines the powers of Alfil and Dabbaba |
| Amazon | n*, ~1/2 | QN | Knightmare Chess Knightmare Chess Knightmare Chess is a fantasy chess variant published by Steve Jackson Games in 1996. It is a translation of a French game Tempête sur l'échiquier , designed by Pierre Cléquin and Bruno Faidutti.... |
Combines the powers of the Queen and the Knight. Also called Superqueen. |
| Andernach grasshopper | Andernach chess Andernach chess Andernach chess is a chess variant in which a piece making a capture changes colour. For instance, if a white bishop on a2 were to capture a black knight on g8, the end result would be a black bishop on g8. Non-capturing moves are played as in orthodox chess... |
A Grasshopper that changes the colour of the hurdle it leaps over. Also known as a Chopper. | ||
| Archbishop | nX, ~1/2 | BN | Capablanca chess Capablanca chess Capablanca chess is a chess variant invented in the 1920s by former World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca. It incorporates two new pieces and is played on a 10×8 board. Capablanca proposed the variant while World Champion, and not as a "sour grapes" rationalization after losing his title as... |
Combines the powers of Bishop and Knight. Also called a Princess, Cardinal, Janus or Paladin. |
| Balloon | Four Dimensional Chess | A Bishop-like piece used in four-dimensional chess, i.e. it changes all coordinates simultaneously while moving. | ||
| Basilisk | on* (Immo~1/2) | mQ (Immo-N) | Nova Chess | A piece that moves as a Queen but immobilizes any piece within a knight's move of itself, that is, it prevents it from moving or taking. If it is a fairy piece with additional powers it may or may not perform these other tasks depending on the case in question. A Basilisk that is caught by another Basilisk in this fashion, for example, may continue to immobilize others, including the other Basilisk. |
| Berolina pawn | o1X>, c1>, io2X> | mfFcfWimfF2 | Berolina chess Berolina chess Berolina Chess is a chess variant using a popular fairy chess piece called the Berolina pawn... |
Moves one square diagonally forward (except on its first move, when it may move two), but captures by moving one square straight forward. Compare with Pawn. |
| Bishop | nX | B | Orthodox Chess Chess Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player... |
Moves any number of free squares diagonally. |
| Boyscout | zB | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves like a bishop, but takes 90 degree turns after each step. Invented by J. de A. Almay in the first half of the 20th century. Rediscovered as Crooked Bishop by Ralph Betza. | |
| Bug-Eyed Monster | Fairy Chess Problems | Can jump to any square which would not be reachable by any orthodox chess piece. Since the Amazon is the sum of all orthodox chess pieces, the Bug-Eyed Monster is the complement of the Amazon. | ||
| Camel | ~1/3 | L | Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane chess is a strategic board game related to chess and derived from shatranj. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur, also called Tamerlane . Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain... |
Old historic piece. Jumps 2 squares orthogonally followed by one square diagonally outwards. |
| Cannon | See "Pao" and "Korean Cannon" | |||
| Cardinal | See "Archbishop" | |||
| Champion | 1+, ~2* | WAD | Omega Chess Omega Chess Omega Chess is a commercial chess variant designed by Daniel MacDonald in Toronto. The game is played on a 10x10 board with an extra square in each of the extreme corners where the wizards are placed at the start of the game... |
Combines the powers of the Wazir and the Alibaba. |
| Chancellor | n+, ~1/2 | RN | Capablanca chess Capablanca chess Capablanca chess is a chess variant invented in the 1920s by former World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca. It incorporates two new pieces and is played on a 10×8 board. Capablanca proposed the variant while World Champion, and not as a "sour grapes" rationalization after losing his title as... |
Combines the powers of the Rook and Knight. Also called Empress or Marshal. |
| Checker | cn(^2X>), o1X> King: cn(^2X), o1X |
Checkers | Multiple captures in one turn, or without capturing can move forward one diagonal space, but cannot move backward until after it has finished a turn on the far rank of the board. (cf. Draughts Draughts Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque... , Checkers) |
|
| Chopper | See "Andernach grasshopper" | |||
| Colonel | n>, n=, 2/1> 1* | KfsRfN | Chess with different armies Chess with different armies Chess with different armies is a chess variant in which two sides use different sets of fairy pieces. There are several armies of equal strength to choose from, including standard FIDE army... |
Moves as forwards and sideways Rook, the forwards moves of a Knight, or a King. |
| Dabbaba | ~2+ | D | Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane chess is a strategic board game related to chess and derived from shatranj. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur, also called Tamerlane . Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain... |
Old historic piece, also known as War machine or Machine. Alternate notation: ~0/2 |
| Dayrider | n(~2*) | AADD | Combination of Alfilrider and Dabbabarider. Also known as Alibabarider. | |
| Dummy | A piece with no moves at all. It may be captured, gain temporarily moving ability by relay, or pushed or pulled around by other pieces if there are pushing or pulling pieces on the board. Different from Zero. | |||
| Edgehog | n* | Q | Edgehog Chess | A Queen Queen (chess) The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts... that can move only to or from the edge of the board. Variant: when it moves from an edge, it may not move to an edge. Represented in diagrams by a Queen rotated 90° counterclockwise. Invented by John Driver in 1966. |
| Elephant | 2X | nA | Xiangqi Xiangqi Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China... (Chinese) |
A (2,2) leaper, but it cannot jump over an intervening piece, like the Ma. In Chinese Chess, the Elephant is restricted to its half of the board. |
| Empress | See "Chancellor" | |||
| Fers | 1X | F | Shatranj Shatranj Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:... |
Move one square in any direction diagonally. |
| Fusilier | o1+, c1X | mWcF | Centennial Chess | Moves and captures like a Pawn in all 4 directions. Invented by F. Marinelli in 1770. Also known as Steward or Quadrapawn. |
| Giraffe | ~1/4 | Old historic piece. Jumps one square diagonally followed by three squares orthogonally. See also Zurafa. | ||
| Gold General | 1+, 1X> | WfF | Shōgi Shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan... |
Moves in all 4 orthogonal directions or diagonally forward. |
| Grasshopper | gQ | Fairy Chess Problems | A hopper which moves along the same lines as a queen and lands on the square immediately beyond that of the hurdle. One of the most popular fairy pieces. In diagrams, the Grasshopper is usually represented by an inverted Queen. | |
| Graz Pawn | 1*> , io2*> | fWfFifmW2ifmF2 | Fairy Chess Problems | Combines the powers of the Berolina Pawn and the standard Pawn. Also known as the Sergeant, this piece was used as early as 1943 in Arno von Wilpert's Wolf Chess. It occurs (without the initial double move) as Iron General in large Shogi variants from 15th century, e.g., in Tenjiku shogi Tenjiku shogi Tenjiku shogi is a large-board variant of shogi . The game dates back to the 15th or 16th century and was based on the earlier chu shogi, which itself was based on dai shogi.- Objective :The objective of the game is to capture the opponent's king and, if present, the crown prince, which counts as... . |
| Immobilizer | on* (Immo1*) | mQ (Immo-K) | Ultima Baroque chess Baroque chess is a chess variant invented in 1962 by Robert Abbott. In 1963, at the suggestion of his publisher, he changed the name to Ultima, by which name it is also known... |
The Immobilizer, invented by Robert Abbott, moves as a chess Queen. At the end of its move, any enemy piece that is on a square adjacent to the Immobilizer is frozen in place, and can not move away until the Immobilizer moves away or is captured. The Immobilizer can never move to an occupied square and can not capture pieces. If two Immobilizers move next to each other, they are both frozen until the end of the game or until one is captured. An immobilised piece may commit suicide, e.g., to open a line of attack. This action counts as a move. |
| Janus | Janus chess Janus chess Janus Chess is a chess variant played on a 10×8 board. It features a new piece, the Janus , with the combined moves of a bishop and a knight. This piece is named after the Roman god Janus because this god was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions... |
See "Archbishop" | ||
| King | 1* | K | Orthodox Chess Chess Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player... |
Move one square in any direction. Royal in orthodox chess. A non-royal piece which moves in this way is sometimes called a Commoner or Man. |
| Khohn | 1X, 1> | FfW | Makruk Makruk Makruk , or Thai chess, is a board game descended from the 6th-century Indian game of chaturanga or a close relative thereof, and therefore related to chess. It is regarded as the most similar living game to this common ancestor of all chess variants.... |
Move one square in any direction diagonally or one square straight forward. It has the same moves as the Silver General in Shogi Shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan... . |
| Knight | ~1/2 | N | Orthodox Chess Chess Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player... |
It jumps one square orthogonally followed by another square diagonally. |
| Korean Cannon | pR | Korean Chess (Janggi) Janggi Janggi , sometimes called Korean chess, is a strategic board game popular in Korea. It derived from Xiangqi , which itself is thought to be a descendent of the Indian chess game Chaturanga... |
Moves and captures along orthogonal lines by jumping exactly one piece, called the hurdle. There can be any number of free squares before and after the hurdle. Unlike the Pao it moves the same way for capturing and non-capturing moves. In chess problems it is sometimes called Rook Lion or Rion. | |
| Kraken | ~n/m | Leap to any square on the board, including the one it is currently on (leaping to the current square has the effect of passing a move). Compare with Universal leaper. | ||
| Leeloo | Quintessential Chess | Combines the powers of Quintessence and Rook | ||
| Leo | on*, c^& | mQcpQ | Chinese | Combines the powers of the Pao and Vao; it moves like a Queen when not capturing (that is, a (1,0) or (1,1) rider), but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Leo's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). |
| Lias' Pawn | o1>, o1=, c1X>, io2> | mfsWcfFimfW2 | Lias' proposal | An extended Pawn which can also step one square sidewards. Proposed in the 1920s by A. G. Lias to improve standard chess |
| Lion | pQ | Fairy Chess Problems | A hopper which moves along the same lines as a Queen and which can land on a square any distance beyond the hurdle. | |
| Maharaja | n*, ~1/2 | QN | Maharajah and the Sepoys Maharajah and the Sepoys Maharajah and the Sepoys, originally called Shatranj Diwana Shah, is a popular chess variant with different armies for white and black. It was first played in the 19th century in India.... |
A royal Amazon, the only piece for white. |
| Mao | Chinese | Moves like a Knight except that it does not leap. It first moves one square orthogonally in any direction, and then continues in the same general direction one square diagonally. The square it is on after its orthogonal move must be vacant. For example, if a white mao is on b2 and there is a white pawn on b3, the Mao cannot move to a4 or c4; if the pawn is on c3, however, it can move to both those squares (because the first part of the move is orthogonal, not diagonal). | ||
| Marshal | See "Chancellor" | |||
| Moa | Chinese | as the Mao, but the first step is diagonal and the second orthogonal, not the other way round. | ||
| Murray Lion | ~2*, c1* | ADcK | Can move and capture as an Alfil or Dabbaba, and capture only as a King. This piece stems from a misinterpretation of the Lion of Chu Shogi Chu shogi Chū shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi in its rules and game play. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi variants in regular use. Chu shogi seems to have been developed in the early 14th century as a derivative of dai... but has become popular in fairy chess problems and chess variants. It is named after the chess historian Harold James Ruthven Murray Harold James Ruthven Murray Harold James Ruthven Murray , was an English educationalist, inspector of schools, and prominent chess historian. He was the first to publish the theory that chess originated in India... who brought it up. |
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| Nao | mNNcpNN | Chinese | A Chinese Nightrider —moves as a normal Nightrider (that is, a (2,1) rider) when not capturing, but which captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Nao's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of knight-moves beyond the hurdle). | |
| Nightrider | n(1/2) (in same direction) | NN | Fairy Chess Problems | A rider which moves any number of 2,1 cells (i.e., knight moves) in the same direction. A Nightrider on b2 on an empty board, therefore, can move to a4, c4, d6, e8, d3, f4, h5 and d1. A Pawn of the opposing colour on d6 could be captured, but the Nightrider could not move any further in that direction (i.e., it couldn't move on to e8). A pawn on b3, for example, would have no effect. On diagrams, the nightrider is usually represented by an inverted Knight. One of the most popular fairy pieces. See diagram below. |
| Odysseus | Fairy Chess Problems | The Odysseus' move depends on the file where it is located: It moves as a Rook on files a and h, as a Knight on files b and g, as a Bishop on files c and f, as a Queen on file d and as a King on file e. Also known as Querquisite. | ||
| Pao | mRcpR | Chinese | Moves like a Rook when not capturing (that is, a (1,0) rider), but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Pao's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). Found in xiangqi Xiangqi Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China... (in which context it is normally known in English as a Cannon). Compare with Korean Cannon. |
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| Pawn | o1>, c1X>, io2> | mfWcfFimfW2 | Orthodox Chess Chess Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player... |
Moves one square straight forward (except on its first move, when it may move two squares), but captures one square forward diagonally. Compare with Berolina pawn. |
| Pentere | Quinquereme Chess | Combines the powers of Queen and Quintessence. | ||
| Princess | See "Archbishop" | |||
| Pterodactyl | ~3/3, ~5/5, ~0/15 | Chess mathematics | The simplest triple range amphibian. George Jelliss demonstrated a pterodactyl's knight's tour Knight's tour The knight's tour is a mathematical problem involving a knight on a chessboard. The knight is placed on the empty board and, moving according to the rules of chess, must visit each square exactly once. A knight's tour is called a closed tour if the knight ends on a square attacking the square from... on a 16×16 board in 1985 |
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| Quang trung rook | Quang Trung Chess | Moves as Rook but when capturing must move on square away from captured piece in the same direction. | ||
| Queen | n* | Q | Orthodox Chess Chess Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player... |
Combines the powers of the Bishop and Rook. |
| Quintessence | Quintessential Chess | A Nightrider who takes 90-degree turns in a zig-zag manner on each step. First described in 2002 by Jörg Knappen and found in several chess variants since then. | ||
| Rao | mqNcpqN | Chinese | A Chinese Rose —moves as a normal Rose when not capturing, but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Rao's destination square. The captured piece can be any distance beyond the hurdle. | |
| Reflecting Bishop | Moves like a bishop, but additionally is allowed to "bounce" off the edge of the board when making a move, similar to a hockey puck or billiard ball. Its path continues down the diagonal to any legitimate square after the "bounce". | |||
| RennCavalier | Renniassance Chess | Moves in the same move one square diagonally and any number of squares othogonally or any number of squares orthogonally and one diagonally. It has two paths to the same target square and must make at least a blockable knight's move. Called Cavalier in RennChess, but the name Cavalier is used for other pieces as well. Renniassance Chess was invented by 1980 by Eric V. Greenwood. | ||
| RennDuke | Renniassance Chess | Moves in the same move one square orthogonally and then any number of squares diagonally or any number of squares diagonally and then one straight. It has two paths to the same target square and must make at least a blockable knight's move. Called Duke in RennChess, but the name Duke is used for other pieces as well. | ||
| Rook | n+ | R | Orthodox Chess Chess Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player... |
Moves any number of free squares orthogonally. |
| Rose | qN | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves as a Nightrider, except that rather than moving in a straight line, it moves along pseudo-circular ones. A rose standing on e1 on an empty board, for instance, can move to any of the squares on the large circle c2, b4, c6, e7, g6, h4 and g2; as well as c2 and a1; or d3 and b4; or d3, e5 and g6; or f3, e5, c6 and a5; or f3 and h4. As with the nightrider, an opposite-coloured piece on any one of these squares can be captured, but prevents the rose from progressing any further along that line. See diagram below. | |
| Spy | 2>, 2=, (1/1)> | fsDfF | Chess Empire | The Spy can move two spaces forwards or sideways, or can move like a knight one forward and then one horizontally or vice versa. It can leap over pieces and can only move two spaces; thus, it is "trapped" on its own color like a Bishop. |
| Squirrel | ~0/2, ~1/2, ~2/2 | DAN | Fairy Chess Problems | Jumps to any field in a distance of 2. It was discovered independently several times and is also known as Centurion or Castle. |
| Superpawn | on>, cnX> | mfRcfB | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves without capture any number of fields forward, captures diagonally forwards like a Bishop. Promotes on the 8th rank. Cannot capture en passant nor be captured en passant. May be placed in the first rank. Invented by Werner Speckmann in 1967. |
| Superqueen | See "Amazon" | |||
| Taxi | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves without capture one step forward or backwards, captures one square diagonally forwards like a Pawn. When in the second rank can move one, two or three steps forward or one backwards. Can promote on the 8th rank or continue to be a Taxi. Can capture en passant other Pawns or Taxis. May be placed in the first or eight ranks. | ||
| Universal leaper | Leap to any square on the board apart from the one it is on. Compare with Kraken. | |||
| Unicorn | Raumschach | In Raumschach it is a triagonal rider, moves through the vertices of the cubes. See diagram below. The name Unicorn is also used for several pieces in 2 dimensions, e.g., for the Archbishop or for the combination of Bishop and Nightrider also known as Banshee. | ||
| Vao | mBcpB | Chinese | Moves like a Bishop when not capturing (that is, a (1,1) rider), but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Vao's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). | |
| Wazir | 1+ | W | Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane chess is a strategic board game related to chess and derived from shatranj. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur, also called Tamerlane . Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain... |
Moves one square orthogonally in any direction. |
| Wizard | 1X, ~1/3 | FL | Omega Chess Omega Chess Omega Chess is a commercial chess variant designed by Daniel MacDonald in Toronto. The game is played on a 10x10 board with an extra square in each of the extreme corners where the wizards are placed at the start of the game... |
Combines the movement of Fers and Camel. |
| Zebra | ~2/3 | J | Old historic piece. Jumps one square orthogonally followed by two squares diagonally outwards. | |
| Zero | ~0/0 | A piece which can make a zero move, i. e., jump and land on its starting square without any side effects. This gives the player the option to pass a move. Sometimes used as a component to more complex pieces. It is different from the piece with no move at all called Dummy | ||
| Zurafa | Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane chess is a strategic board game related to chess and derived from shatranj. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur, also called Tamerlane . Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain... |
Starts with a (1,4) leap (like the modern Giraffe) and may continue moving outwards as a Rook. |
External links
- Piececlopedia - an extensive list of fairy chess pieces, their history and movement diagrams
- Who is Who on Eight by Eight Compiled by Ivan A Derzhanski, shows also piece values
- Jerome Grimbert's List of Fairy Chess Pieces (french)
- Fairy chess pieces and fairy problem conditions (german)
- Märchenschachlexikon (Die SchwalbeDie SchwalbeDie Schwalbe is the German chess composition society and issues the bimonthly magazine Die Schwalbe.- Society :Die Schwalbe was founded on 10 February 1924 in Essen as Vereinigung von Problemfreunden zur Förderung der Aufgabenkunst...
, German)