Penultima
Encyclopedia
Penultima is a game
of inductive logic, played on a chess
board. It was invented by Michael Greene and Adam Chalcraft in Cambridge
in 1994. The game is derived from the chess variant
Ultima
(otherwise known as Baroque chess), and played with a standard chess board and pieces, each piece having different movement and capture rules from standard chess. In a manner similar to the game Mao
(also popular in Cambridge at that time), the rules for each piece vary from game to game, and are initially kept secret from the players. Penultima is similar in style to Eleusis
, Zendo
and Mao
. The name of the game is a pun
on "penultimate", and "Ultima" (the name of the chess variant).
.
Before the game starts, the Spectators decide between themselves which pieces they will write rules for. The secret rule for a piece may for example control the way that piece moves, captures, or is captured, and may cause it to affect other pieces on the board. A piece may be given an invoke command which causes it to affect other pieces on the board without moving. When he or she has written the secret rule for a piece, the Spectator also gives it a new name for the duration of the game. These names (and the existence of any invoke commands) are announced to the players at the start of the game.
On his or her turn, a Player attempts to move or invoke one of their pieces, and the Spectator for that piece declares whether the action is legal or illegal. If it is legal, that Player's turn ends and play passes to the other Player. If it is illegal, the piece is returned to its position at the start of the turn. In the original game, play then passes to the other Player; in other variants the original Player continues making attempts until he or she succeeds in making a legal move or invoke.
As in standard chess
, the winning player is the one who forces his or her opponent's king (or equivalent piece) into checkmate
. At the end of the game, the Spectators reveal their rules.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
of inductive logic, played on a 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...
board. It was invented by Michael Greene and Adam Chalcraft in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1994. The game is derived from the 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:...
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...
(otherwise known as Baroque chess), and played with a standard chess board and pieces, each piece having different movement and capture rules from standard chess. In a manner similar to the game Mao
Mao (game)
Mao is a card game of the Shedding family, in which the aim is to get rid of all of the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules...
(also popular in Cambridge at that time), the rules for each piece vary from game to game, and are initially kept secret from the players. Penultima is similar in style to Eleusis
Eleusis (game)
Eleusis is a multi-genre card game where one player chooses a secret rule to determine which cards can be played on top of others, and the other players attempt to determine the rule using inductive logic....
, Zendo
Zendo (game)
Zendo is a game of inductive logic designed by Kory Heath in which one player creates a rule for structures to follow, and the other players try to discover it by building and studying various koans which follow or break the rule...
and Mao
Mao (game)
Mao is a card game of the Shedding family, in which the aim is to get rid of all of the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules...
. The name of the game is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on "penultimate", and "Ultima" (the name of the chess variant).
Rules
Several Spectators create secret rules which govern how the pieces move and two Players attempt to discover these rules. The game is traditionally played with chess pieces but may be played any sufficiently distinct components, such as coins or Icehouse piecesIcehouse pieces
Icehouse pieces are pyramid-shaped gaming pieces invented by Andrew Looney and John Cooper in 1987, originally for use in the game of Icehouse.- Description :...
.
Before the game starts, the Spectators decide between themselves which pieces they will write rules for. The secret rule for a piece may for example control the way that piece moves, captures, or is captured, and may cause it to affect other pieces on the board. A piece may be given an invoke command which causes it to affect other pieces on the board without moving. When he or she has written the secret rule for a piece, the Spectator also gives it a new name for the duration of the game. These names (and the existence of any invoke commands) are announced to the players at the start of the game.
On his or her turn, a Player attempts to move or invoke one of their pieces, and the Spectator for that piece declares whether the action is legal or illegal. If it is legal, that Player's turn ends and play passes to the other Player. If it is illegal, the piece is returned to its position at the start of the turn. In the original game, play then passes to the other Player; in other variants the original Player continues making attempts until he or she succeeds in making a legal move or invoke.
As in standard 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...
, the winning player is the one who forces his or her opponent's king (or equivalent piece) into checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
. At the end of the game, the Spectators reveal their rules.
External links
- “Penultima” by Michael Fryers, from Variant Chess, Volume 3, Issue 28, Summer 1998, pages 164-166