This is a sub-version of the Capablanca Chess variety. It is a far-fetched variant, combining elements from LoonyBird (copyright Christian Freeling) and FlipChess, both available on this site.
A crucial feature of standard western chess is the peculiar ability of pawns to move in a fashion , while capturing in another. The variant proposed here pushes that idea to a ridiculous extent: all non-regal pieces move in a certain way, but capture some other way.
Pieces are flat, flippable tokens, each face of which harbours a combination of two different chess figures. One figure (the hunter), "mounts" the other (the carrier). When capturing, a piece goes in accordance with the usual move type of the hunter, and if not, with that of the carrier. Thus, a Bishop-on-Rook slides like a Rook and captures like a Bishop, etc. In addition, a player may flip a piece -at the cost of a turn; the figures then swap roles.
(For instance a Knight-on-Bishop is flipped to become a Bishop-on-Knight).
All the usual rules of standard chess still apply. Just note two more additions: - Pawns may be turned into Berolina Pawns (step diagonally, capture straight ahead, also promotable, and may capture en-passant a pawn of same kind), and - If not in check, the King can swap places with an adjacent Queen of same color (provided the latter
is not attacked, of course).
The pieces of this variant are -predictably- strongly held back (if not downright crippled), compared to those in other Capablanca chess ones. ZoG does not play it too well, so I threw in a sub-variant with a first single move and subsequent double moves. The games are much more quick-paced, but Kings usually end up being captured instead of checkmated; I then
reversed to a second sub-variant with single moves, but involving Pawn-on-Berolina Pawns and Berolina Pawns-on-Pawns. Oh, well.. |