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This page is written by the game's inventor, Abdul-Rahman Sibahi.

Donkey Chess

I've read in these pages a comment, I think it was by M Winther, talking about a piece he invented which is called the Donkey. Personally, i find the name Donkey inappropriate because it gives the impression of being stronger than the Knight, but i always wanted a piece called the Donkey, and here it is!

Setup

The Normal Grand Chess pieces and setup. Except as noted below.

Pieces

There are three unorthodox pieces in this game :

* The Donkey (D): moves and captures like the standard chess Knight. However, if the Knight move was passive (not a capture,) it may, but doesn't have to, make another non-capturing step in the same direction. it's (cNmN2) in funny notation. (or cNmNN2). The Donkey replaces the Knight in the opening setup.

* The Archbishop (A): combines the Bishop and Donkey. Replaces the Cardinal (B+N.)

* The Chancellor (C): combines the Rook and Donkey. Replaces the Marshall (R+N.)

Rules

All rules are as in Grand Chess.

Notes

M Winther believes that the Donkey is a true match to the Bishop on the 10x10 board. (Hence the inspiration.) This should make a Grand Chess game interesting.

The Chancellor is definitely the most powerful piece. It has incredible mobility and incredible forking power, AND it is a leaper. The Archbishop is also more mobile than ever.

It would also be interesting to see how this works out on a 10x8 board or my own Energizer Chess on an 8x8 board.


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By Abdul-Rahman Sibahi.
Web page created: 2007-05-17. Web page last updated: 2007-05-17