[The following was transcribed directly from the published pammplet, regardless of existing typographical errors.] IDEA FOR A PERSONAL GAME BY V. R. PARTON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 1] A PERSONAL GAME THE BASIS OF PAWN PARTONICI The various forms in which my idea "pawn partonici" can be played differ mainly in the size of board and arrange- ment of pawns. Besides the ordinary board of 8 x 8 squares, the smaller board of 7 x 7 and the larger 9 x 9 (and even the 10 x 10) are used for this game. The simplest way of playing this game is naturally on the 7 x 7 board; for which each player has a force of fourteen pieces (or pawns) arranged in his two rearmost rows, thus the three middle rows being quite unoccupied at the start of play. For the ordinary 8 x 8 board, a player has a force of twenty pieces, half of which are pawns and half are sub-pawns (or pawns of weaker power) which may be initially arranged in the manner shown, dots denoting empty squares. P . . P P . . P S P P S S P P S S S S P P S S S The initial arrangement can, of course, be made in a number of other ways. A pawn advances across the board in any of the three forward directions, straightforward in its column or diagonally forward; it may move one, two or more squares at a time in the same forward direction, provided such squares are not occupied. A pawn must not move into an occupied square, nor as stated, must it pass over any occupied. This piece may be termed mobile pawn. A sub-pawn can advance only one square at a time, cornerwise or straightforward in its column. A sub-pawn may be termed slow pawn. The force can be made up of other compositions than ten pawns and ten sub-pawns, and in its original form my idea is played without sub-pawns. The objective of play in the pawn partonici game is to capture hostile pawns and sub-pawns; but how foes are taken in partonici play is a rather unusual idea, not at all like the modes of taking used in either chess or draughts for capturing hostile pieces. 1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 2] The partonici system of taking consists of four or five special but related sorts of capture, which are designed to deal with general types of groups and broken formations into which enemy pawns may separate or assemble by their own advancing movements across the board. It is this pawricular style,or rather system of styles, of taking which gives to pawn partonici its strange character and quite new kind of tactics and strategy. The player who captures the larger number of enemy pieces by means of these partonici takes is the winner of this game. It is not required of a player, however, that in order to gain victory, he shall capture all the enemy pieces. The drawn game in pawn partonici means equality; each player must have the very same number of pieces remaining on the board at the end of the game for it to be drawn. For convenience, pawns can be represented by draughts- men, sub-pawns being represented by draughtsmen of a smaller size (or different pattern, or even colour if necessary) to distinguish them from the other sort of pawns. As all pieces capture with the same forms of partonici taking, the term of "pawn" also includes "sub-pawn", in the descriptions of partonici modes of captures which are explained in the following sections. The simple form of partonic take is made when a player, by moving one of his pawns, grips an enemy pawn between two of his own. The direction of the straight line in which the three pieces involved in this take must lie, may be diagonal, vertical or horizontal. The pawn that is so trapped and held between its two foes has now by this simple partonic take become their caotive, and it must therefore be removed from the board and out of any further part in the game. For example, white pawns on squares a3, d4 and g6; black pawns on c4, g8 and h5. Here, if the white pawn at a3 goes to square b4, then the black on c4 will consequently be held and trapped (horizontally) between this white and its fellow white pawn on square d4. In consequence, that black pawn at c4 is captured in a simple partonic take and so must be removed at once from the board, out of any more activity in the game. 2. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 3] Should the black pawn situated at g8 move forward to square f7, then it would trap (diagonally) its white foe at g6 between itself and its black ally on h5. The double partonic take is an attack in which a move makes two simple partonic captures at the same time. An illustration of such a double partonic type of taking is the following: white pawns on squares a4, c6 and d3; black pawns on squares b4 and c5. In this situation, if that white pawn on d3 advances to c4, then it will capture the two black pieces on b4 and c5 simultaneously, each of them by a simple partonic taking; and so both these foes must be removed together off the board and out of further play in the game. The contrary partonic take is produced by the contrary idea of the simple partonic form, which is totally reversed or inverted in character, to give this new variety in the partonic capturing system. In the contrary partonic (or CP for short) it is not that pawn between its two enemies which is captured, but those two enemies themselves between which it is moved, that actually fall victim in such a contrary partonic attack. For example, white pawn on square b3; four black on a3 and a5, b5 and d3. Here, the white pawn by moving to square c4 between the two black foes situated on squaresb5 and d3 will capture them (diagonally) by this contrary partonic. Should this white pawn move instead to a4, then it will capture its two foes on a3 and a5 with its CP attack. Because in such CP mode of capture two enemy pawns are taken and not just one as in the simple partonic, the threat of a CP attack against hostile pieces is generally more dangerous to them than the menace of the simple partonic against them. It is even possible when two pieces have seized a foe with the simple form of partonic, these two may themselves then become vulnerable to capture by a CP made on them. For example, white pawns on e4 and h3; black pawns on g4 and h5. Here, by moving e4 - f5, white can make a simple partonic capture of the black pawn on g4; but now, of course, black retorts with h5 - g4 making CP capture of those two white pawns themselves as a form of retaliation. 3. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 4] The line partonic take (or LP for short) extends naturally and logically the idea of partonic attack so that a straight line of two or more foes may now become capturable at a single turn of play. In such LP mode of taking, instead of only one enemy pawn between two of the player's own pieces, there are now two or more foes forming a straight line (diagonal, horizontal or veritcal) between his attacking pair of pawns. That line of hostile pieces so held and gripped between the player's two pawns is taken by them in this new fashion of partonic take. For example, white pawns on a2 and f5; black pawns on b3, c4 and d5. In this position white, by moving his pawn on f5 to square e6, can make a line partonic capture; for the three black pawns which are now held and trapped in a straight line (diagonal) between their attackers on a2 and e6 are taken jointly in this LP capture, and consequently must be removed together off the board as captured pieces. Naturally the line partonic has its own contrary or inverse form of taking, like or equivalent in type to the one which the simple partonic has to the CP already explained. In this new variety of partonic attack (or CLP for short) a player tries to form a straight line where two or more of his own pawns will become positioned between two hostiles. By making such contrary line partonic, the player will capture both those enemy pieces situated one at each end of the straight row, formed at least of four pieces. The direction of such a line may, of course, be diagonal, horizontal or vertical. For example, white pawns on b2, c4 and d5; black pawns on a2 and a6. Here, by advancing his pawns on b2 to square b3, white forms (diagonally) a straight row containing five pieces in all. The two black pawns which are situated one at each end of this line are consequently captured with the CLP attack made on them, and removed off the board. In certain positions a pawn moved may be able at the same time to make two or even three different kinds of partonic take, as LP with CP. 4. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 5] For example, white pawns on a5 and c4; black pawns on b5 and c5, e4 and c6. Here, by the move c4 - d5, white captures the two foes on b5 and c5 with LP, but those on e4 and c6 with CP taking at the same time. Together, the four black pawns have been seized by white in what may be termed "mixed partonic take." (Such a type of partonic may reasonably be considered an extension of the double partonic take.) Among mixed partonic attacks, perhaps one particular case needs to be mentioned and explained to avoid any slight degree of ambiguity. The following is an example to illustrate such a situation: white pawns on a2 and e4; black pawns on b3, c4 and e6. Here, by the move e4 - d5, white will capture the black pawns on b3 and c4 with line partonic attack; also, white will capture the foes on c4 and e6 with contrary partonic at the very same time. It will be noted that the black pawn (c4) has been taken in two different ways, by LP and CP simulataneously. Though that piece is twice (or ambiguously) captured as it would seem, nevertheless such mixed partonic attack is a proper form of partonic taking. Enemy pawns taken in a partonic attack must all be removed from the board before the next move by the opponent may be made. A pawn on reaching the enemy back row is promoted in status, thereby being able to move backwards and sideways as well as forwards. A sub-pawn on its promotion can move one square in any direction. Such promoted pawns can be indicated by being "doubled," if draughtsmen are used to represent pawns. In the game of pawn partonici, the winner is the player capturing the greater number of enemy pawns and sub- pawns, both being regarded alike because capturing itself is the deciding rule for victory and defeat in pawn partonici. 5. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 6] Naturally a game must continue for a reasonable number of moves before it can be logically and justly claimed as a "won game." For general purposes, the rule for claiming the win at pawn partonici played on the ordinary 8 x 8 board is that the player who has captured two or three pieces more than his opponent can claim the win immediately that he is successful in getting two promoted pawns on the board. (This condition may be raised, such winner being required to have three pawns promoted.) For the simplest form of pawn partonici on the 10 x 10 board, a player has ten pawns and ten sub-pawns. Initially the pawns are set in the player's third (rear) rank in front of the sub-pawns in his second, his back rank not being occu- pied. A similar arrangement of nine pawns and nine sub-pawns may be used for a player's force in the case of the 9 x 9 board. (This 9 x 9 game is the original form of pawn partonici.) The distinction between pawns and sub-pawns is rather like the difference between mobile cavalry and slow-moving infantry. It may be seen that the sub-pawns have a rather defensive task in pawn partonici, to obstruct enemy pieces generally, but particularly to prevent the mobile pawns in the enemy force from promoting too quickly and easily. The slow move of sub-pawns handicaps them to some extent when trying to avoid capture. If a less "flexible type" of pawn is preferred, then pawns can be limited to moving in diagonal directions only; that is, a pawn can advance one, two or more squares along cornerwise lines but not straightforward in its column. Such restriction "cramps" some pawns to operating on squares of one colour and the other pawns to squares of the other colour system of the board. 6. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 7] The game of pawn partonici, whose rules and characteris- tics have been described in the preceding sections is, however, not the original version of my idea partonici. The foundation variant, as it may perhaps be termed, of partonici design is played on a board of 9 x 9 squares for which each player has a force of eighteen pawns initially arranged in the player's first and second rear rows. The special feature of this variant is that in the player's force three of his pawns are distinguished by their role from the others, and called "royal". In both move and taking power, royals are exactly like the other pawns. The aim of play in royal partonici differs from pawn partonici as not being in general to capture enemy pawns but to attack and capture the royals in the enemy force. The player capturing such three vital pieces of the enemy, by partonic takes, gains the victory over his opponent, whatever other pawns get taken in play before that final blow when the opponent loses his last royal. Clearly royal pawns in this version of partonici have the role equivalent to what kings in chess have to perform, as the real objects of attack by hostile pieces. For playing royal partonici on the 9 x 9 board, the player's three royals should occupy the three middle squares in his front line of pawns. In the variant played on the 10 x 10 board, each player can have four royals, initially arranged in the middle of his front line of pawns. A suitable arrangement on the ordinary 8 x 8 board in which a player's force of twenty pawns contains four royal pawns, is the following formation (X denoting royal);- P P . . . . P P P P X X X X P P P P P P P P P P 7. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 8] This game can be played with one or two royals, or with more than four in the player's force if wished; but three or four royals probably give the best interest. Beyond four royals the idea begins "to blurr" into pawn partonici too strongly. THE IDEA OF SCACI PARTONICI The game of "Scaci partonici" is the special form of my idea "partonici." In playing this form of the idea, chess- men are used as pieces; they have in general their various normal moves in this partonici game that they have in chess itself. In playing scaci partonici, all the pieces as well as pawns are strictly limited to advancing movements until they reach the enemy back rank, where such pieces are promoted and so gain their complete chess moves in any direction. Pawns reaching that enemy rear rank may be promoted to queen, or any other kind of "chessmen" agreed on beforehand. Such distinction between pieces restricted to advanc- ing moves and pieces promoted to their full powers of movement can very convenienylt and suitably be made by using smaller size chessmen to represent "advancing pieces" and larger size chessmen to represent "promoted" in the scaci partonici play. The objective of play in scaci partonici is to capture enemy pieces, as it is in pawn partonici; no piece having any special value over others when captured in this game. For playing scaci partonici on the ordinary chess- board with the standard set of pieces of chess, a player's pieces are arranged in the following manner: the pawns occupy the 8 squares of his first (or rear) rank, the other eight pieces occupy his second rank. (1) A player captures an enemy piece with a simple partonic take when he moves one of his men to a vacant square adjacent to the foe, by which already another of this player's pieces is standing adjacent, so that the enemy piece becomes situa- ted between both of his men. The three pieces so involved 8. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 9] in the partonic must lie in a straight line; but the direction may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal on the board. The piece so gripped or held between its two foes is now a captive by this simple partonic take, and is therefore removed off the board and ou of the game. Position: White Rook on KR2; Bishop on QKt5; Knight on QB3; Pawn on KB5. Black Queen on QB4; Pawn on KKt3. In this position, if the white knight at QB3 goes to square Q5, then the black queen will be held between the white bishop (on QKt5) and this knight in his new position on square Q5; thus the black queen is captured by a simple partonic take made in a horizontal row, and must be removed from the board. The white rook on square KR2,by advancing to KR7, would trap in a simple partonic attack (in a diagonal direction) the black pawn between himself in his new position and the white pawn on KB5. (2) The contrary idea to the simple partonic take produces the mode which I term the contrary partonic variety of capture. Here, it is not the piece betweeen its two foes which is captured, but those two foes betwee which it is moved that become victims in this contrary partonic type of taking. Position: White King on KKt5; Queen on QR4; Knight on QB2. Black Rook on KB2; Bishop on QB5; Pawn on KR4; and Knight on K5. In this second postion the white knight by moving to square Q4 can capture at the very same time in such contrary partonic, both the black bishop and knight between which he is moved. Both those black pieces must therefore be removed off the board as captured. Also, the white king could here capture with a contrary partonic attack the black rook and pawn by moving to square KKt6 which lies between those two foes. 9. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 10] Here, black could capture in a contrary partonic the white queen and knight by playing his bishop (on QB5) to square QKt6 between those foes. (3) In the mode which I term line partonic capture, the idea of partonic take is extended, so that a straight line of two or more enemy pieces become capturable at a single turn of play by the player. Instead of only just one enemy between two of this player's men, now two or more foes lie in a straight row (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) between his pair of men whereby the line partonic position of attack is created. Those two or more enemies thus gripped and held between his two pieces are captives by this line partonic, and consequently must be removed as captured out of the game. Position: White KIng on KB5; Queen on K7; Knight on QKt1; Black Queen on QKt5; Rook on Q3; Knight on QB4; Pawns on Q6 and QB7. In this third position, the white knight, by moving to square QR3, can make such a line partonic form of take. Here the three black pieces (queen, rook and knight) are gripped in a true straight row between the white queen and this knight in his new position on QR3. These three black pieces are thus captured in a line partonic attack, and so are removed together out of the game as captured foes. (4) Naturally, the line partonic take just explained has its own contrary form in similar manner as the simple partonic has its contrary. In this contrary line partonic take, the player attempts to form a straight line in which two or more of his men will be situated between two of the opponent's pieces. By such contrary line partonic, the player will therefore capture those two hostile men, one at each end of the line so formed. In the third position the black knight can make a contrary line partonic take by moving to square K5 to join with the two black pawns in forming a line between the white king and knight, both of which are thus captured in this extended type of contrary partonic attack. 10. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 11] (5) The mixed (double and triple) partonic take is the form of attack in which a move makes two or three partonic captures at the same time. These may be the same kind of partonic, or different kinds which are combined (mixed as it were) into a single attacking move. Position: White Knight on QB5; Bishop on K3; Rook on QB6; Black pieces on Q2 and KB4; K4 and K5, and Q3. In this position the white knight can. by moving to square K6, make a triple (mixed) form of partonic; which associates a simple, a line and a contrary type into a single partonic attack. Together all five black pieces, here seized by white in such triple attack, are, of course, removed off the board as the consequence of that knight's move. The extension of the idea of scaci partonici to play on the larger scale board of 100 squares raises no serious diffi- culties. For this variation a player has a force of twenty pieces, his extra men being four pawns from a second chess set. The initial arrangement is: the rear rank is not occupied; the second is completely occupied by ten pawns; the third is occupied by the eight pieces proper with a pawn at each end of this row. If agreed, four pawns may be added to occupy the central (four) squares in the back rank; in order to strengthen the player's"two-row force" just described. Naturally the idea scaci partonici has its royal variant. In this game, one piece in a player's force is, of course, distinguished form the others by being "the royal;" the aim of play now is to capture the enemy royal (by some partonic take) which gains victory. The piece selected as royal may be any of the types of chessmen; but most likely the king will be chosen for this role because of having the like vital role to preform in chess. 11. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [page 12] The character of partonic taking makes a very strong contrast with those of ordinary chess and normal draughts captures. The radical feature in the "genus" of ordinary chessmen is that any individual chessmen can by its own power take any individual hostile piece; and this characteristic applies also to the "genus" of draughtsmen. On the contrary, a"partonic" piece has no power in itself of taking any in- dividual enemy piece. Direct conflict of two opposing "partonic pieces" is thus totally absent. Taking in my idea partonici depends on three pieces at least being brought together into a special type of position; and certain partonic captures depend on even four or more pieces being together in such a position. The problems of getting three or four pieces into a partonic attacking position are perhaps as awkward and complex as planning for attacks in either chess or draughts. As the number of pieces become reduced in action on the board, the opportunities for partonic takes naturally are also fewer, and perhaps more difficult to create such capturing positions, especially of promoted pieces. The partonic forms of taking together make a logical unified system.