Check out Symmetric Chess, our featured variant for March, 2024.

This page is written by the game's inventor, Stephen Larson.

KEYLES

This excellent game requires a different strategy, being a much quicker and totally different type of game. Played with the same pieces and moves as Quex, there are two major differences. See the Quex pages for more information on the pieces and their moves.

1. The objective in Keyles is to be the first player to move the King completely across the board, onto the opponentÂ’s end zone or first rank, to win the game.

2. The King can be captured like any other piece, but instead of removing it from the board, the King is transposed with one of the other nine Quex champion pieces. These are the Kings Keyles.

When the King is captured, it is given to its owner, who then places the King on a square occupied by one of that players other champion pieces. This piece is captured Quid pro quo, it is passed to the opponent, replacing the King. The player whose King was captured and transposed, resumes play.

Quex Note: When a King is captured, it is recorded as a King capture, then a King move, then as a capture of the transposed piece (as if by the opponent).

If the pieces are strategically placed, it can sometimes be advantageous for the King to be captured.

The King can only replace champions, Queen, Lord, Knight, Prince, or Rook, it can not replace pions.

Pions may be promoted to any captured piece, on reaching the opponents first rank.

 

     

Quex ~ Keyles

 

Dark pieces

 

 

90

91

92

93

94

95

 

96

97

98

99

 

 

80

Rook

81

Prince

82

Knight

83

Lord

84

Queen

85

King

86

Lord

87

Knight

88

Prince

89

Rook

 

 

70

Crux

71

Fote

72

Trez

73

Wyse

74

Grand

75

Grand

76

Wyse

77

Trez

78

Fote

79

Crux

 

 

60

61

62

63

64

65

 

66

67

68

69

 

50

51

52

53

54

55

 

56

57

58

59

 

 

40

41

42

43

44

45

 

46

47

48

49

 

30

31

32

33

34

35

 

36

37

38

39

 
 

20

Crux

21

Fote

22

Trez

23

Wyse

24

Grand

25

Grand

26

Wyse

27

Trez

28

Fote

29

Crux

 

 

10

Rook

11

Prince

12

Knight

13

Lord

14

Queen

15

King

16

Lord

17

Knight

18

Prince

19

Rook

 

 

00

01

09

03

04

05

 

06

07

08

09

 

 

     

Quex ~Keyles

 

Light pieces

 

Keyles ~ The 1999 large chess variant contest. Stephen @ (email removed contact us for address) leinet.co.uk

This variant is an entry in the 1999 Large Variant contest.


Written by Stephen Larson.
WWW page created: April 30, 1999.