FAIR CHESS

First player has one move, after which players may play either one or two moves per turn, at their choice.

Both moves of the two must separately be legal FIDE moves for the position faced; there is no enpassant but all other FIDE rules apply.

1       c4         c5  Nf6  
2  b4   Nf3       c:b4 Nc6  
3  a4   g3         a5   e5  
4  N:e5 d4        N:e5  d6  
5  Bg5  d:e5      Qc7  Ne4  
6  Bg2  e:d6      N:d6 Bd7  
7  O-O  Qd4       f6   Be7
8  Bf4  Qd5       Q:c4 Rc8
9  Q:b7 B:d6      B:d6 Qc7
10 Rc1  Qe4+      Kd8  Be5
11 R:c7 Nd2       R:c7 B:a1
12 Nb3  Qa8+      Bc8  Ke7
13 N:a1 Qe4+      Be6  ---
14 Nb3  Bh3 ?     f5   Rc3+ !
15 N:c1 Bf1       f:e4 Rd8
16 resign

. . . r . . . . 8
. . . . k . p p 7
. . . . b . . . 6
p . . . . . . . 5
O p . . p . . . 4
. . . . . . O . 3
. . . . O O . O 2
. . N . . B K . 1
a b c d e f g h

After move 14, White loses the queen and is unable to recover the R vs N advantage.

This chess variant, with a pace equal to Marseillais Chess is indeed quite different. Pieces that are moved inside the same turn do not give extra liberties to each other (each move must be legal according to the initial position at the start of the turn).

RAMBO WALLS (A sample game)

j = jeep:     moves 3 spaces
o = obstacle: can only be entered with a single step
g = grenade:  creates an unfillable gap from a wall
r = rope:     crosses a wall  
a = archway:  creates an unfillable gap from a space    
p = pivot:    turns a wall through 90^ (re-usable)
L = L-wall:   2 units L-shaped
3 = 3-wall:   3 units long

     B            J      
1. -N  GIc      WS  GIk
2. WW  EGc      WW  EGk
3. WW  CEe      SS  CEk
4. NW  Ece      WW  ACk  
5. EE  ACe      EE rDEe
6. EE  Egi      SS jS              
7. EE  DFi      WS  Ikm
8. WE  rN       SE pDk
9. NN  CEn      SE 3Ekn
10 NN 3EGl      EE aHim
11 resign     Powers left: J: [ogL], B: [jogapL]


   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N
a , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . a
  :                                                   :  
b :   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : b
  :                                                   :
c :   +   +   +   +-------+-------+   +   +   +   +   : c
  :               |                                   :
d :   +   +   +   |   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : d
  :               |                                   :
e :-------+-------+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : e
  :                                                   :
f :   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : f
  :               |             B                     :
g :   +   +   +   |   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : g
  :               |                                   :
h :   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : h
  :                                                   :
i :   +   +   +-------+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : i
  :                                                   :
j :   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   : j
  :           |                                       :
k :-------+   o   +-------+-------+   +   +   +   +   : k
  :           |   |         J     |                   :
l :   +   +-------|-----------+   |   +   +   +   +   : l
  :               |               |                   :
m :   +   +   +   |   +   +   >   <   +   +   +   +   : m
  :               |                                   :
n ` - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ' n
   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N

Trabsact Sagme Diaries

In the middle lies the virtue of no decision. [T.Sagme, Proverbs]

FLAG GRID

* Object of the game: to take the flag to one of one's own home bases.
* Movement and capture is similar to Lines of Action, with the distance to be moved being EITHER the total number of pieces in the vertical line of the piece to be moved, OR the horizontal line, mover's choice.
* If a piece moves to the uncaptured flag, or captures an opposition piece with the flag, he captures the flag and keeps it until captured.

Initial Setup:

a b c d e f g h i
; . x . . . o . : 1
. x . . . . . o . 2
x . . . . . . . o 3
. . . . . . . . . 4
. . . . F . . . . 5
. . . . . . . . . 6
o . . . . . . . x 7
. o . . . . . x . 8
. . o . . . x . . 9

Game Sample:

    Xs:   Os;
1. b2-d4 i3-g5
2. d4-e4 b8-b7
3. i7-i4 h2-g3
4. g9:g5 g3:g5
5. a3-c3 c9-f6
6. i4-h5 f6-g6
7. h8-f6 g6:e4
8. h5:g5 a7-c5
9. g5*e5 e4*e5
10 f6*e5 c5*e5
11 c3*e5 g1-g3
12 c1-d2 b7-c6
13 d2-e3 resign

a b c d e f g h i
; . . . . . . . : 1
. . . . . . . . . 2
. . . . x . o . . 3
. . . . . . . . . 4
. . . . X . . . . 5
. . o . . . . . . 6
. . . . . . . . . 7
. . . . . . . . . 8
: . . . . . . . ; 9

This is a catch-the-flag game with a mix of Lines of Action. Games are fast and full of tactical measures and counter-measures. There is no great strategic depth but the game is fun. Game by Bill Taylor.

SLIDE-CHESS

1. Each player must on each move do one of:-
 (a) make a regular Chess move; (which includes moving or capturing into or out of either cage).
 (b) move his cage (with any contents) to any empty edge or corner square;
 (c) insert his cage (with any contents) orthogonally into the board, shifting the other cells in line until a cage appears at the opposite edge (which must have been empty).
2.  A player wins by capturing the opponent King
3. No double initial pawn step; no castling.
4. When a pawn reaches the 2nd/7th rank, its mover decides how it promotes.
5. A player may not move his cage twice consecutively.
6. No king must ever be in a cage.

Initial Setup

1         [ ]         1  [] White cage
2    r n b k b n r    2  () Black Cage
3    p p p p p p p    3
4    . . . . . . .    4
5    . . . . . . .    5
6    O O O O O O O    6
7    R N B K B N R    7
8         ( )         8
   a b c d e f g h i

Game Sample (‘>’ means a cage slide):

 1. e5 g4
 2. e1a8 e4
 3. Na8 e8a2
 4. a8d1 Ra2
 5. N:f2 K:f2
 6. d1>d8 a2>i2
 7. d6 d:e5
 8. d:e5 Bc4
 9. b:c4 N:c4
10. b5 Ne3
11. Rd7 i2d1
12. R:d1 N:d1
13. Bb6 d1c8+
14. resign (White cannot recover his material)

Final position:

1                    1
2   r . . . . k n    2
3   p p . . p . p    3
4   . . . p . p .    4
5   O . . O . . .    5
6   B O . . O O O    6
7   . . . K . N R    7
8    (n[ ]           8
  a b c d e f g h i

This chess variant has two main features that provide some fun: (1) the board changes (rows and columns are shifted left/right or up/down) which permits checks, piece pinning and the like, and (2) pieces may move very fast to other board edges via cage movements. Game by João Neto.

Games @ Amazons

Games from the Amazons Indians by the Indigenous Brazilian Games Project

Games @ Knossos

I travelled to Greece, visiting Crete and Athens. At Crete I went at the archaeological site of Knossos. Here I saw this reference (click in the pictures to enlarge):

After that visit, I went to the museum where I caught the game itself:


And a view from above:


Unfortunely nothing more was presented at the museum about the game. Back at home, I googled it and found at the Games Museum of the University of Waterloo this paper (there are other articles concerning ancient games)

Another Taylor's Ghost

Still another beatiful example of a forced sequence mate with Taylor's Ghost in an Aussie Progressive Chess.

1. Nf3
2. a5 h5
3. e4 Ng5 N:f7
4. d5 Qd7 Qg5 Q:d1+
5. K:d1
6. Nb6 Rh6 Rf6 Rf3 Re3 Re1+
7. K:e1
8. Nh6 Nf5 Nd6 Nb5 Nc3 Nd4 Nc2++

r . b . k b . .
. p p . p N p .
. . . . . . . .
p . . p . . . p
. . . . O . . .
. . n . . . . .
O O n O . O O O
R N B . K B . R

After two forced captures which destroyed the White sequences, Black manages to give a great check-mate with his two Knights.